Not Your Usual Sand Castles; Master Sand Sculptors Create Works Of Art During Fest

CLEARWATER, FL — Those who haven't yet had a chance to attend the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival have one more weekend to check out the elaborate, detailed and sometimes wacky sand sculptures of 14 renowned sand sculptors.

The festival will continue through April 23 at Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach.

The sculptors fashioned their masterpieces using more than 1,000 tons of Clearwater sugar sand, inspired by this year's theme, "A Blast From the Past: A Nostalgic Look Back at the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s."

This is the ninth year the city of Clearwater, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and Sunsets at Pier 60 have hosted the festival.

After a successful post-pandemic return of the festival in 2022 that drew more than 200,000 visitors, organizers of the ninth Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival decided to stretch the event to 17 days, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to check out the works of art housed in a walk-thru 21,000-square-foot exhibit tent.

The sculptors use no molds to create their massive works. Every sculpture is handcrafted using utility tools, baking tools, brushes, even dental tools.

This year's sculptors, who hail from Canada, Japan, Russia, South America and all part of the U.S., are Damon Farmer, Benjamin Probanza, Dan Belcher, Daryl Bowles, Dmitry Klimenko, Hanneke Supply, Karen Fralich, Kirk Rademaker, Mark Mason, Martijn Rijerse, Patrick Harsch, Raymond Wirick, Sue McGrew, Yuri Nyuknalov, Damon Meri, Dean Arscott, Joohang Tan, Larry Hudson, Melinage Beauregard and Steve Schomaker.

Nine of the sculptors will compete in the Master Sand-Sculpting Competition, vying to win an $8,000 cash prize.

Visitors can vote for their favorite sculpture for a donation and the sculptor who raises the most money wins the competition. All proceeds collected will be donated to Sandy Lane and Eisenhower elementary schools, Title 1 schools in Clearwater.

The Clearwater Gas Speed Sand Demonstrations at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday will pit the sand sculptors against one another in a live, fast-paced interactive show. The crowd will be asked to write down ideas for the sculptors to carve, and the sculptors will have 10 minutes to finish whichever suggestion is randomly selected.

Sand-sculpting classes will be held beachside daily at 2 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with one of the master sand sculptors. Carving tools will be supplied to use during the sculpting class.

In addition to a chance to see one-of-a-kind sand sculptures, the festival will feature entertainment, fireworks, food vendors, artisans and the Hyatt's Tropico Sand Bar serving craft beer and hard seltzer.

The Baystar VIP Lounge Experience will be open to VIP ticket-holders on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10:30 p.m. and Sundays from 5 to 9 p.m. except Easter. VIP tickets include the fast-lane entrance to the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit, a complimentary souvenir photo, three beers, wine or seltzers, two sodas or bottled waters, a festival T-shirt and access to air-conditioned VIP restroom. Menu offerings will include carved sirloin sliders, a shrimp boil and pulled pork, island rice and black bean bowls. Click here for VIP tickets.

Related: Frontline Workers To Get Reduced Entry On Fridays To Sugar Sand Fest

Additionally, Frenchy's Restaurants will host a series of free outdoor concerts. Upcoming performers include:

• Friday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.: Tim Charron.
• Saturday, April 22, 7:30 p.m.: TL Jentgens followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m.
• Sunday, April 23, 6 p.m. US Stones: Rolling Stones Tribute Band.

The Hooters Hangout stage will feature concerts on the weekend as well:

• Friday, April 21: Brek Milo from 3 to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 22: Kyle Ingram from noon to 4 p.m.
• Saturday, April 22: Chris Flowers from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 23: DJ Ryan Moore and FIELDZ from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Featured buskers on hand to entertain the crowds include magician Shaun Jay, juggler and circus artist Brian Koenig, and jugglers and comedians Sam Malcolm and Tony Steinbach.

A Classic VW Car Show will be held Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Sugar Sand Festival will also bring back the educational art initiative, Recycle-Gator, which debuted at the festival in 2022.

The Recycle-Gator was created by world-renowned artist, Donald Gialanella. During last year's festival, the 18-foot Recycle-Gator collected more than 10,000 pieces of single-use plastics.

A Ferris wheel, bounce slides and bounce houses will be available for an additional charge.

An Earth Day celebration will take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 21, with a family-friendly beach clean-up. Click here to participate.

General admission to the festival is $14 and includes a complimentary photo, with children age 3 and under admitted for free. Click here for tickets.

Festival-goers should consider using the free Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority trolley service from downtown Clearwater to get to and from the festival on Clearwater Beach where parking is at a premium. Visitors can park for free at the Old Clearwater City Hall, 112 S. Osceola Ave. any weekday and on Saturdays and Sundays at the Pinellas County Garage, 310 Court St., the 450 Oak Ave. parking lot or the 311 S. Osceola Ave. parking lot. Click here for information.