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You might remember building sandcastles as a kid, but what if I told you there's a sand sculpture festival in Florida where you can see larger than life sand creations right in front of your eyes?
Yes, you read that right. Clearwater Beach is home to The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival that draws both locals and tourists to the area to catch a glimpse in person. The catch? It's only 17 days long so you have to plan to be in the Clearwater / St. Petersburg area or you risk missing it since it's not here year round. It makes for the perfect family vacation destination or girlfriend getaway trip if you need even more of a reason to book a trip.
I've seen photos and videos of The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival on social media, but this year I finally made the trip to Clearwater Beach to check it out in real life. Spoiler alert: It's more breathtaking in person and it does make for the perfect Instagram photos.
Here's the ultimate guide to Clearwater Beach’s Annual Sugar Sand Festival
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What is The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival?
For some background, The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival is a family-run, nonprofit event based around a 24,000-square-foot sand sculpture exhibit. The event was started by Lisa Chandler alongside her husband 13 years ago as a passion project and has continued ever since.
Over the course of several weeks typically around Easter, more than 1,000 tons of sand from Clearwater Beach is transformed into works of art by 18 master sand sculptors from around the world. These artists travel from far and wide from places like Germany to Portugal to bring these sand creations to life for locals and tourists alike. Trust me when I say, it's worth a trip to see them in real life. The pictures are incredible, however, they don't do it justice compared to seeing it in person.
It is a ticketed event and tickets can be purchased for the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit or the Baystar VIP Lounge Experience. General admission to the festival is $16 per person and VIP is $75 per person. The VIP tickets come with tickets to the exhibit, a bottle of water, a festival theme t-shirt, a souvenir photo, two alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, two sodas, a VIP lounge, air conditioned restrooms and a dinner entree.
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My Experience at The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival
I had an amazing time at The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival. In fact, it exceeded my expectations. For starters, I was able to skip the long general admission line with the Fast Lane since I purchased my ticket in advance and went directly to the exhibit without waiting in the sun. Oh, and the exhibit is covered so if it rains (which it often does in Florida) so you don't have to worry about your plans being impacted.
From the moment I stepped inside, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that artists created these sculptures from scratch — it's quite impressive . This year's theme was sports and spirit and for the second year they brought back sand castle sculptures with projections — a super neat addition. Some of my favorite sand sculptures were the race car, pickleball pickle and the figure skater.
If you're curious like myself, then you'd be interested to know that the sculptures are made solely by using sugar sand, water and some carving tools to achieve the proper look and shape. One display takes roughly two to three weeks to create and some of them are coated with an Elmer's glue paste to keep them in-tact.
Aside from looking at the sculptures, there's also other things to do such as watch street performers, go on a ferris wheel and inflatables, participate in a free sandsculpting class, shop at merchant boots and eat at select vendors. There's truly no shortage of activities to keep you busy during the day.
Since my VIP ticket came with a dinner entree, I had the vegetarian curry with a brownie. Dinner is served for VIP guests between 5:30pm and 8:30pm.
To end the night, I watched the Zac Brown Experience concert. The acts change each day of the festival so you'll want to check out the lineup before purchasing a ticket if you're keen on seeing a specific band or performer. There was also another concert earlier in the evening presented by Frenchy's of the Aubrey Wollett Band. The music was spectacular and was the cherry on top for an already incredible day.
When is Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival?
This year The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival took place between March 27 to April 12. The 17-day event takes place on Clearwater Beach on Pier 60. It runs between 10AM and 10PM on the weekends and 10AM and 9AM on the weekdays.
Didn't have time to make it out this year? It's slated to be back next year so you'll want to keep an eye out on their website for updates.
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What is Clearwater, Florida like?
Located on the Gulf Shores, Clearwater has powdery white sands and calm clear waters as the name suggests. Spend your days lounging on Clearwater Beach, then wander to Pier 60 for sunset celebrations filled with street performers and local vendors. Crowds skew family-friendly and lively, especially on weekends and at sunset. Prices run moderate to high near the beach, with more affordable options inland. The area is notably clean, with well-kept public spaces. Safety feels solid, thanks to visible patrols and a steady, welcoming flow of visitors.
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