I’ve lived in Florida my whole life and I’m embarrassed to admit in all my years of Florida living I had never attended the annual Sugar Sand Festival until this year!
SPOILER ALERT: I loved it!!!
The kids loved it, too! I wasn’t sure if it would hold their attention but it definitely did!
The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival is a 17 day beach-wide celebration that pay tribute to two things: sugar sand and our amazing sunsets!
There are lots of ways to enjoy the festival for free including a children’s play area, street performers, artisans and craters, live entertainment, fireworks, sand sculpting classes, speed sand demonstrations, and the master sand sculpting competition.
We specifically went to see the completed sand sculptures, also known as Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit, and that requires a paid entrance fee.
The tickets cost $10 for ages 11+, $8 for kids ages 3 – 11, and kids 3 and under are free. Our entrance fee came to $36.
That’s not a massive amount but considering you can walk through the whole exhibit in 10 to 20 minutes I wasn’t sure if it would be worth the money. But there are no regrets here!
We had never experienced anything like this so the kids were pretty awe struck. The excitement probably would not have had been as high if we attended yearly.
I appreciated that the exhibit felt educational. The theme was “Save the World”. Each region of the world was artistically represented and it was fun to talk about each country, their landmarks, wildlife, and defining characteristics.
It was helpful that there was some explanation about how they created these amazingly large, detailed sand structures. Before the sculptors even begin sculpting, they transform all the sand piles into “forms”. Forms are hollow wooden blocks. The Sugar Sand is compacted into forms with water which increases the surface tension and allows the sculptors to chisel away at their new masterpiece.
There were some tools on display so you can understand how the massive sand structures were made.
It was explained that it took two massive front loaders and 14 master sand sculptors 11 days to create. They piled 1,000 tons of sugar sand into a 21,000 square-foot tent!! That’s pretty amazing!
We spent a total of 20 minutes in the exhibit. The kids stayed interested the whole time. Even my two year old stayed engaged. She loves animals and there were lots of exciting ones to see – turtles, crocodiles, narwhals, fish, whales, birds, seahorses, octopus, and penguins!
The ticket price included one complimentary souvenir photo. It was a nice feature. Nothing amazing but it’s nice to have.
After we finished I gave the kids the option to walk through it again. They said they liked it the first time but they wanted to see other things. So we moved on!
I actually would have enjoyed walking through it again. There is a lot to see and I felt like I probably missed some of the smaller details the first time through.
They stamped our hands as we exited so we could have re-entered if we had wanted to.
As we exited the tent there was an area for the kids to practice making their own sand sculptures. My kids spent 20 minutes playing in the sand while I people watched and listened to a live band playing beach tunes.
There were several areas to play corn hole so we played a few games of that. There were a few close calls, but thankfully we didn’t hit any passersby with the bean bags!
There were food vendors lined up selling kettle corn, gourmet ice pops, deep fried oreos (and all those other deep fried options), and lots more of fair-type food. I gave the kids the option to buy something there or go to Ice & Cream Creamery for ice cream cones. They chose ice cream!
Fine by me!
Overall we had a great time and we definitely plan to return!
Visitor Details
Website: https://sugarsandfestival.com/
Address: 1 Causeway Blvd Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
Hours: Only open for 2ish weeks in mid-April from 10AM to 10PM, except Sundays is 10AM to 9PM.
Pricing: $10 for 11+, $8 for kids 3 to 10, and free for kids 3 and under. Discounts are available for active and retired military, educators, seniors, police and fire personnel, and AAA members.
Parking: HECTIC! There’s limited parking so you may need to park and walk from a distance. We arrived around 6PM so we were able to park in the marina parking lot. Park and ride was also an option I considered. You can read more about parking options here: Clearwater Beach Parking Options.
Permitted: blankets and low lying beach chairs.
Not Permitted: Coolers, Pets – only service animals are permitted, grills, hibachis, or open flames of any kind, glass containers or bottles, unauthorized vendors or solicitors, tents, canopies or umbrellas, Firearms, unless otherwise permitted by Florida Statute, Chapter 790 (2011), knives or weapons of any kind, fireworks or laser pointers.
Insider Tips
The website suggested buying tickets online before arriving. I meant to but ran out of time. The line to buy tickets was very short when we visited so I didn’t regret not pre-purchasing.
If you have kids, it’s fun to visit the Pier 60 playground since you’re so close.
There are lots of other options for having fun after you visit the Sugar Sand Festival sculptures – bounce houses/slides, Ferris wheel, balloon making, trampolines, and street performers. They do take credit cards. Fees are usually between $5 – $10.
If you want to skip seeing the sand sculptures there are still lots of free ways to enjoy your visit! You’re able to access the sand castle making area for kids, corn hole, playgrounds, live band, and street performers for free.
Volunteers are needed and they are given a T-shirt, complimentary meal, complimentary transportation, and free admission to the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit on the day of their shift. Learn more here: Volunteer.
Enjoy your visit!
If you’ve never visit a sand sculpture exhibit I think you’ll be pretty entertained! I’m not sure we’ll go every year but I do plan to visit again in the future.
If you’ve visited feel free to share in the comments below your opinion of the Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit!
Also, tag us on Instagram! We’d love to see your pictures.
https://www.instagram.com/tampaography/