The Hope Summit 2026 Conference, Film Festival, and Community Festival

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Carolina Ocean Alliance

The Hope Summit 2026 Conference, Film Festival, and Community Festival

The Hope Summit is an annual conference and festival organized by the Carolina Ocean Alliance in Charleston to highlight multidisciplinary and intersectional challenges facing our world and celebrate community-driven solutions that create agency and hope for communities worldwide to adapt for a bright, regenerative, equitable future. To heal our planet and ourselves, we must act as part of this world, not apart from it, experiencing community as the vast ecological web of life that supports and sustains us.

In 2026, The Hope Summit will explore how, to create vibrant communities, we must redefine our understanding of who and what is part of a community.

The need for community has never been stronger. Communities around the world are rebuilding networks of care and resilience, reconnecting people with themselves, their neighbors, the institutions that seek to serve them, and the ecosystems that support and sustain them.

October 1 - 2, 9 AM - 5 PM | The Hope Summit 2026 Conference | The Charleston Museum

To create vibrant communities, we will host a vibrant hybrid conference with virtual access, a new user experience portal for networking and visit planning, and an interactive conference program featuring speakers, panels, workshops, impact screenings, and evening receptions.

Join us at the Charleston Museum from October 1st to 2nd to cultivate ideas, accelerate solutions, and inspire hope through the multi-faceted and intersectional ways in which creating vibrant communities can shape the future of our communities and of our planet.

Sponsored conference passes for students and early-career professionals are available through www.thehopesummit.org.

October 1st, 6 - 9 PM | Sustainable Ingredients Showcase Dinner, sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association | Park & Grove

On October 1st, join us for an intimate, chef-curated evening celebrating the farmers, fishermen, growers, and purveyors shaping a more sustainable food system across the Southeast. Executive Chef Will Fincher of Park & Grove has created a special dinner experience showcasing exceptional local ingredients and the people behind them.

https://www.parkandgrovechs.com/store/event/ocean-alliance-sustainable-foods-showcase-dinner-at-park-grove/

October 3rd, 8-10:30 AM | Discover the Nemours Ecopasture Initiative | Nemours Wildlife Foundation

The Nemours Wildlife Foundation welcomes attendees of the Hope Summit! Join a Nemours staff member for a guided tour behind the property’s gates. Visitors get a chance to view the Nemours Ecopasture Initiative and maybe even see some Pineywoods cattle.

https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/5i7wFfo6lX3j8EJa55RYEw

October 3rd, 1 - 8:30 PM | The Hope Summit 2026 Film Festival, sponsored by Enduring Curiosity, Austen & Gowder, and NRDC | The Charleston Museum

On October 3rd, join us for an afternoon of inspirational ocean documentaries at the Charleston Museum.

The Film Festival kicks off with a deep-sea double feature matinee featuring "The Hidden Gulf" and "How Deep is Your Love." We will explore the least-known corner of our world's oceans through the eyes of scientists working around the clock to protect and study these hidden ecosystems. Meet two deep-sea champions after the screening for a Q&A.

At 6 PM, celebrate the finale of The Hope Summit 2026 with us and a very special panel of filmmakers and marine mammal champions with a double-feature of "The Last Stand" and "The Right Whale." Learn first-hand from the experts how you can help protect whales and the ecosystems they rely on.

All screenings are pay-what-you-can.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-hope-summit-2026-film-festival

October 3rd, 1 - 4 PM | The Hope Summit Community Festival, hosted by Wake Refill & Carolina Ocean Alliance | The Charleston Museum

Carolina Ocean Alliance and Wake Refill invite you to a fantastic festival of organizations, local community groups, government initiatives, educators, and small local businesses serving the region. Enjoy a sweet treat from E&E Italian Ice while you get your clothes, electronics, furniture, or favorite heirloom mended at the Repair Fair. This is a free and family-friendly event