Nickelodeon Announces First “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” Summer Celebration to Take Place across Multiple U.S. Cities, Including San Diego, Detroit and a Third Chosen by Kids Themselves

Nickelodeon will celebrate kids’ love of play this summer with three “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” events that will visit San Diego, Calif. (June 30- July 2); Detroit, Mich. (July 30-Aug. 1); and a third city (Sept. 3-5) chosen by kids themselves via an online contest launching Monday, June 30. The summer time celebration of play will culminate with Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play event on Saturday, Sept. 20, when the network goes dark and its partners host grassroots activities to celebrate play.

“Through this year’s ‘Road to Worldwide Day of Play’ initiative, we are putting kids’ front and center by celebrating all of the ways they love to play and stay active,” said Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Administration, Nickelodeon Group. “We are working in tandem with our many national and local partners to go into communities to empower kids and their families to adopt more active lifestyles.”

Through July 27, kids ages 7-12 can log onto http://www.nick.com/play to tell Nickelodeon why their hometown should get a visit on the “Road to Worldwide Day of Play.” One grand-prize winner will be chosen from the submissions and will earn an opportunity to bring Nickelodeon-themed games, slime, and its live-action stars to local events in their hometown.

As a lead up to Worldwide Day of Play (Sept. 20), Nickelodeon is partnering with organizations in San Diego, Detroit and the third contest-winning city to bring Nick-themed activities to the local partner events that encourage kids to get up and get active. These events will feature fun-filled games, appearances by stars from Nickelodeon hit shows Instant Mom, The Haunted Hathaways and The Thundermans, costumed characters, a grant presentation to a local non-profit organization and more.

In San Diego, Nickelodeon is teaming-up with the Jackie Robinson YMCA; USA BMX; the Sports Training, Academics & Recreation/Police Athletic League (STAR/PAL); the San Diego Padres; Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego; the Salvation Army Kroc Center; and Youth and Leaders Living Actively (YALLA) for various events from June 30 to July 2. Stars from the Nickelodeon hit series Instant Mom, Sydney Park and Tylen Williams, will also make appearances at select events.

Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s ongoing health and wellness efforts and continues the network’s legacy of promoting positive messages to its viewers. In addition to hosting its flagship event, on Sept 20, Nickelodeon will once again suspend programming from 12p.m. to 3p.m. in order to encourage kids to go outside and get active. Event details regarding Detroit, the contest-winning city and the network’s Sept. 20th event will be announced in the coming weeks. Kids and families can also visit http://www.nick.com/play to find photos and videos from “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” events, get tips on the best ways to play and access toolkits to help plan their own Worldwide Day of Play activities.

United States Tennis Association (USTA) is a presenting sponsor of Nickelodeon’s 11th annual Worldwide Day of Play. The USTA will hold youth tennis demonstrations taking place in “Road to Worldwide Day of Play” cities, creating a “hands-on” opportunity for families to experience tennis. Kids are learning the game through USTA’s youth initiative which is geared towards getting more kids to participate in tennis using equipment and courts tailored to a child’s size.

Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).