Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival 2018 Dates, Times Set

CLEARWATER, FL — Tampa Bay area residents and visitors who can’t wait for the 2018 return of the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival still have months to go, but now they have some dates to jot down on their calendars. The city of Clearwater announced Wednesday that the 2018 event is set to take place April 13-22, 2018.

The theme has also been set, the city reported in an email. This year’s fun will center around Sea America: “A Celebration of America’s Treasures.” The city also promises there will be new creative activities at next year’s festival, but officials aren’t ready to spill the beans just yet.

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The Sugar Sand Festival’s 2017 run drew an estimated 115,000 visitors through its 10-day span. The annual festival puts 11 “world-class artists” to task crafting elaborate sculptures out of the sugar sand Clearwater is famed for. The sculptures are contained in a 21,000-square-foot tent and are put on display for 10 days. It takes more than 1,000 tons of sugar sand to create the displays each year, the city explained in an email to media.

The annual festival is a joint project between the city and Sunsets at Pier 60.

The upcoming year’s event will maintain the same ticket prices to keep the fun affordable for families. The cost to enter the sculpture exhibit is set at $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 6 to 17. Seniors ages 55 and older, military personnel, first responders and teachers with ID pay $8. Kids 5 and younger enter for free.

To find out more about the 2018 Sugar Sand Festival, visit its Facebook page.

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Photo courtesy of the city of Clearwater