Catch the Wave with ROM's Big Blue March Break Programming

TORONTO, February 28, 2017 – Families and kids of all ages can expect a whale of a good time at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) this March Break. From March 11 to 19, ROM’s Big Blue March Break dives into an exciting underwater world of ocean exploration with ROM experts, virtual reality fun, lively theatre performances, collaborative art projects and more.

Visitors will be among the first to experience Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story, which launches on March 11, and is sure to be one of the most talked about exhibitions of the year. Come face-to-face with a massive 80-foot blue whale skeleton — one of the largest and most-complete ever assembled. Share in the original story of the ROM scientists who worked with local communities to recover two rare blue whales who died tragically off the coast of Newfoundland in 2014. Discover the mind-blowing biology of blue whales and gain insight into the global decline of the species and what is being done to protect the world’s largest animal…ever. Visitors can dive into the history of this ocean-going giant through many interactive, hands-on, marine-themed activities, all designed to bring the mysterious world of the blue whale to life. The ROM gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Government for this Ontario150 initiative.

Highlights from ROM’s Big Blue March Break:

•   Wade into the wondrous world of dolphins with customized echolocation goggles

•   Sail into the heart of a historical mystery and learn how archaeologists uncovered secrets of the   

     Franklin Expedition through 19th century Inuit oral testimony, scattered artifacts, and more

•   Swim along to an exclusive, marine-themed production from The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival

•   Head back on shore to encounter live animals with Hands On Exotics

Drop-in activities during Big Blue March Break run from 10:30 am to 30 minutes before closing time unless otherwise noted, and are free with Museum admission.

Big Blue March Break is also the last chance to see Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This stunning exhibition features 100 breathtaking and all-new photographs highlighting the beauty and diversity of the natural world. The exhibition closes March 19, 2017.

Both Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story and Wildlife Photographer of the Year are separately ticketed exhibitions.

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Media Contact

Wendy Vincent, Bilingual Publicist           
416.586.5547
wendyv@rom.on.ca

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ABOUT THE ROM

Opened in 1914, the ROM showcases art, culture, and nature across time and around the globe. Among North America’s most renowned museums, the ROM is Canada’s largest with the dual mandate of natural history and world cultures. The Renaissance ROM expansion project (2007) preserved the best of the Museum’s beautiful historic architecture while merging its iconic heritage building with the Studio Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. The ROM is the country’s largest field research institution and an international leader in areas encompassing the visual arts, material culture and archaeology, biodiversity, palaeontology, and earth sciences — originating new information towards a global understanding of historical and modern change in the natural and cultural worlds. For tickets and 24-hour information in English and French, visit www.rom.on.ca or call 416.586.8000. For Membership enquiries, please call 416.586.5700.