CLEARWATER, Fla — One of Clearwater Beach's most exciting events is here.
The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival presented by St.Pete/Clearwater has gotten underway and visitors have already packed out tents to see sculptors create and display their work.
From April 8 until April 24, the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival will bring you 21,000 square-feet full of intricate sand art displays. The sculptures are a huge favorite for people living in and around Clearwater. Thousands of spectators have historically shown up.
Here's what you can look forward to at the festival:
🏖️ What's the theme?
This year's theme is "SANDimals, An Animal Adventure." Fourteen world-class sculptors will make sand come to life using Clearwater's world-renowned sugar sand. The sculptors come from across the world including Mexico, Germany and Russia among others.
🏖️ Ticket prices
While you can buy tickets at the Sugar Sand Festival, you can also buy them ahead of time online.
- General admission: $12
- Children 4 and under: Free
- Baystar VIP Lounge: $70
All on-site ticket purchases will be cashless payment options only.
🏖️ Exhibit hours
- Sunday - Thursday — 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
- Friday & Saturday — 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
🏖️ Entertainment
Aside from cool sand sculptures, there will be free live music, smaller competitions for visitors, fireworks, kid's play zones and sand sculpting classes.
🏖️ Parking and directions
Clearwater Beach has street parking along the beach area; however, finding a space can be a treasure hunt. The closest public parking lot to the festival is the Pier 60 lot which costs $3 per hour. You can find it southwest of the roundabout by Pier 60 Park, beachside.
Additional public parking garages nearby include parking at the Hyatt Regency on Coronado Drive and a public parking garage located on the North beach in the Pelican Walk Plaza. Be mindful of parking rates in the garages.
So what are you waiting for? The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival is a 17-day event for people of all ages to enjoy.