Beach & Tourism

Sixteen Sculptors, Half-Ton of Sand Ready to Show ‘The Sands of Time’ at Clearwater Beach Festival

by
Daniel Nee
March 26, 2024

More than a dozen professional sand sculptors – artists who travel the world building themed masterpieces out of ordinary beach sand – have arrived at their mecca in Clearwater Beach. And they are just about ready to unveil their creations to the masses.

Organizers ready exhibits at the 2024 Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater Beach, March 25, 2024. (Photo: ClearwaterDaily)

ClearwaterDaily and other media on Monday got a sneak peak under the tent of the ongoing effort to build the sand sculpture exhibits near Pier 60 just a few days before the 10th annual Sugar Sand Festival kicks off. We won’t give away all of the artful secrets in store, but suffice to say, beachgoers who venture into the 21,000 square feet of “sand castles” over the next two weeks will undoubtedly emerge impressed by what they saw.

The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival kicks off this Friday, March 29, and will run through April 14. This year, the festival celebrates its 10-year anniversary and its biggest year yet with a special theme, “Sands of Time,” and a nostalgic look back at the festival’s 10-year history – and some history a bit farther in the past.

Abraham Lincoln sits in a state of stoic pride in a sculpture of his memorial. Volkswagens of the past get multiple shout-outs – we spotted a Bug and a Bus among the the projects underway – and Mount Rushmore itself is replicated in beach sand.

The festival this year brings together 16 artists from across the world, all of whom are part of an extended community of sand sculptors who travel internationally to showcase their work. The best part, of course, is that the works of art are all original, mated to the theme of the festival. But while the sculptors have traveled everywhere from Dubai, to Italy, to Seaside Heights at the Jersey Shore, Clearwater Beach’s unique “sugar sand” makes the local event particularly unique. Behind the artists themselves are a crew of dozens of workers who perform maintenance on the sculptures over the course of the two week-long exhibit, ensuring every intricate detail remains in tact.

Organizers ready exhibits at the 2024 Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater Beach, March 25, 2024. (Photo: ClearwaterDaily)

“Beach sand is tougher than you might think,” said Karen Fralich, a world-renowned sand sculptor who got her start on the shore of the Great Lakes in her native Canada.

Fralich was busy working on a number of enchanting sculptures. We caught up with her – as shown in the video above – working on a depiction of the “big, bad wolf” chasing Little Red Riding Hood, and she’s also traveling through time to recreate Rapunzel, Humpty Dumpty and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Working on the world’s beaches was a transition Fralich made from the traditional arts scene in Toronto.

“I actually started in a pottery studio, and the woman who ran the studio started dating a guy who was a professional sand sculptor,” she said. “He saw what I was doing in the studio and he asked me if I wanted to try sand sculpting. I fell in love with it immediately, and that was 30 years ago.”

It’s a full-time job, with her work having brought her from Canada, to Clearwater, to worldwide destinations including Japan, South Korea, England, Italy, China and Russia.

Organizers ready exhibits at the 2024 Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater Beach, March 25, 2024. (Photo: ClearwaterDaily)

She and colleagues have been working for five days – virtually nonstop – to bring the famous fairy tales to life. Despite her jet-setting opportunities, Clearwater Beach’s unique setting – and sand – has been a destination since 2015.

“This really is a unique place,” Fralich said. “It’s very special.”

The Sugar Sand Festival officially begins just south of Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach this Friday and is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The festival also includes free beach concerts, a “sand bar,” speed sculpting competitions, sculpting classes, a Volkswagen car show and fireworks, among other activities.

The event runs through April 14.