Pros, Amateurs To Compete In Long Beach For 81st Annual Sand Sculpture Contest
For the last 80 years, Long Beach and surrounding communities have gathered on the sandy shores of Long Beach to participate in the annual Great Sand Sculpture Contest. The free family friendly two-day community festival which features amateur and professional sand sculpting, also includes arts and crafts, live music, charity fundraising and even a kid zone where the kiddies can build their own sand castles.
This year's event will take place Aug. 10 and 11 at Granada Beach. The 81st theme of this year's event is "Sculpting Literacy in Your Community," where all proceeds raised at the event will benefit the Long Beach Library Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization raising donations to support the programs, collections, services and programs of Long Beach Public Library.
This year, there will be two sand sculpting contests in which participants will compete for prizes provided by sponsors and local Long Beach businesses – The Professional Contest for professional sculptures and The Community Contest for amateurs and family teams. Sand Sculptures entered in the contest will be judged on uniqueness of sculpture, difficulty of construction, and display and concept.
The Great Sand Sculpture contest is presented on behalf of Rotaract Long Beach, The Long Beach Sea Festival, and Alfredo's Beach Shack.
New to 2013, Rotaract welcomes several top professional sculptors from around the country to compete and amaze spectators. Professional sculptors will be encouraged to build a piece illustrating literacy in the Long Beach community. Thanks to contributions from the Long Beach SeaFestival and the Port of Long Beach, cash prizes will be awarded for the best professional sculptors.
Last year, more than 10,000 people attended the contest, but this year, the number of attendees is expected to rise. Contributions, vendors, volunteers and participants are welcome. For more information, go the 81st Great Sand Sculpture Contest website.
Grand Sand Sculpture Contest
Granda Beach Boat Ramp
1 Granada Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Aug. 10 and 11
lbsandcastle.com
Desiree Eaglin is a So Cal Explorer. She blogs at Sarcastic, Funny and Brutally Honest. You can find her on Twitter too.
