Sugar Sand Festival brings crafty creations to Clearwater Beach

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla - The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival is celebrating 10 years, kicking off this past weekend in Clearwater Beach as sculptors turned 1,000 tons of sand into art.

"What I always enjoy about this festival is every year we get to do a new theme, and it might not be something I would have considered," Dan Belcher, who has been a sculptor at the festival since it started, said. "It’s a double-edged sword because it is just water and sand and people are astounded by that, but they don't want to believe it because they think, ‘oh, I can't do that,’ or ‘sand doesn't do that.’ You say, ‘well, sand doesn't do it. We do it to the sand.’"

"So, every sand is different. Some sand sculptures you can build up pretty tall, pretty sheer, depending on the quality of sand, how well it holds moisture, how well it compacts some sand," Belcher said.

Over the festival’s 10 years, he said he has seen everything grow, from the sculptors -- six to 16 -- to the venue and, of course, the crowds.

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"We had very humble beginnings," festival founder Lisa Chandler said. "The tent was only 8,000 square feet. We are now standing underneath 21,000 square feet, but we always had big visions, big dreams, and as you can see, it has been a huge success."

This year’s theme is Sands of Time, combining the past nine years’ themes. Chandler said they add more and more to the experience each year.

"Our goal each year is to improve and enhance the guests’ festival experience. The sky's the limit between the sculptures and all the free activities that take place. So, we're really excited about what's to come," Chandler said.

This year, the festival includes free beach concerts, fireworks, sand sculpting classes, street performers and more.

"Seeing and knowing that people plan their vacations around this destination event is extremely rewarding," Chandler said.

One thing that has remained constant over the event’s history has been visitors’ reactions.

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"If I built this stuff, all the sand would be destroyed," Henry Cimock, who was visiting on spring break Monday, said. "Now with this, I'm like, how would they do this."

The festival runs until April 14. It’s open at Pier 60 through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Organizers recommend parking in downtown Clearwater and taking the free park and ride service to the festival to avoid parking headaches on Clearwater Beach.

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