September 28, 2025 is World Rivers Day. Join millions worldwide in celebrating and protecting our vital river systems.
A Global Movement for Our Waterways
This Sunday, September 28, millions of people across more than 100 countries will celebrate World Rivers Day. These celebrations focus on themes that include the value of rivers and streams in our communities, the need to restore rivers, and the important links between rivers and oceans. Now in its 20th year, this international day of action serves as both a celebration of our rivers and a call to protect them for future generations.
The History Behind World Rivers Day
World Rivers Day began as a regional Canadian event. Mark Angelo, a river conservationist from Burnaby, British Columbia, founded BC Rivers Day in 1980. The local event proved so successful that when the United Nations launched its “Water for Life Decade” in 2005, Angelo proposed expanding the concept globally. The first World Rivers Day in 2005 attracted participants across dozens of countries, and the event has grown exponentially since then.
Angelo is also known for his documentary River Blue, which highlights the threats that rivers face, and the need for action to protect and restore global rivers.
Key Sponsoring Organizations
The event receives crucial support from multiple international and regional organizations that provide financial assistance and logistical coordination:
- UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) – Coordinates global water initiatives and provides scientific expertise
- UN-Water – The UN’s inter-agency mechanism on all freshwater and sanitation-related matters
- Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning – Serves as the primary communication hub, managing global event updates, website maintenance, and coordination for over 15 years
- Various national and regional river conservation organizations – Provide local expertise and event coordination
The event also relies heavily on thousands of volunteer organizations, environmental groups, educational institutions, and community coalitions worldwide that organize local celebrations and activities.
Global Events for World Rivers Day 2025
This year’s celebration features significant events across six continents, highlighting the global scope of river conservation efforts. A few examples of events:
- British Columbia celebrates 45 years of Rivers Day with province-wide events, where the global movement began.
- In the European Union, countries are celebrating the removal of nearly 5,000 dams. Nations are hosting coordinated restoration and policy forums throughout the weekend.
- Australia’s largest river system, the Murray-Darling Basin, will be the focus of a multi-state celebration featuring indigenous water ceremonies, scientific symposiums, and community restoration projects across the watershed.
- In India, major cities along the Ganges River are hosting exhibitions showcasing restoration progress under the National Mission for Clean Ganga-INDIA
- In the US, community events nationwide include river tours and field trips, river cleanups, local river festivals, aquarium programs, and cultural and artistic events.
The World Rivers Day Events page includes updates and details on events throughout the world.
How You Can Join In
Whether you join organized events or create your own river celebration, World Rivers Day offers everyone opportunities to connect with local waterways:
- Attend local events. See your state or local environmental and conservation agencies/organizations for planned events.
- Organize a community river cleanup in your neighborhood
- Learn about your local watershed and how your daily actions affect downstream communities. Do you know your local watershed? If not, see our watershed tools to help you find out about it.
- Support river-friendly policies and restoration funding in your community. River restoration offers many benefits to communities; see Healthy Returns: Why Restoring Rivers is an Investment in Your Community.
- Share your river experiences on social media using #WorldRiversDay
As Mark Angelo reflects: “Rivers in virtually every country face an array of threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health in the years ahead”.