Sand Sculpting Festival Set for Friday Kick Off

The Revere Beach Partnership and sponsors of the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival have wowed millions of visitors for the last 14 years to witness some amazing sculptures. And this year will be no exception.

With more than 350 tons of special granite sand brought in last Friday from Hudson, N.H., the festival will embrace the theme of “Celebrating Literacy” this year according to Erin Lynch, executive director of the Revere Beach Partnership.

This year’s festival will run Friday, July 20 — Sunday, July 22 with Cirque du Soleil Luzia performing at noon on Saturday and a fireworks display on Saturday night. There will also be over 20 food trucks and several live bands performing throughout the festival.

The 2018 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival will serve to provide an artistic representation and celebration of literary works of art throughout different childhood generations.

“We have a storybook castle as the centerpiece this year,” Lynch said Sunday morning as she watched the work unfold. Sculptures have until 2 p.m. Saturday to work their magic. She noted that one portion of the centerpiece is from a favorite book of hers, “A Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle.

“We’re celebrating literacy over the decades for children of all ages, teenagers and  adults,” Lynch said.

There will be 15 sculptors and a centerpiece for people to see. Each sculpture is decided upon by the artist.

Sculptors include:

Helena Bangert of the Netherlands

Deborah Barrett/Cutulle of Saugus, Mass.

Mélineige Beauregard of Quebec, Canada

Jonathan ‘Jobi’ Bouchard of Montreal, Canada

Enguerrand David of Belgium

Ilya Filmonstev of Russia

Remy Hoggard of Bulgaria

Paul Hoggard of England

Sue McGrew of Tacoma, Washington

Fergus Mulvany of Ireland

Pavel Mylnikov of Moscow, Russia

Rachel Stubbs of England

Steve Topazio of Tiverton, Rhode Island

Abe Waterman of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Jaku ‘Kuba’ Zimacek of the Czech Republic

Cutulle and Topazio have worked together two years ago, but this year are going solo. Cutulle has a plan she is not sharing and Topazio said his piece may be a little on the “dark side.” For Bangert, she said that she often has a problem of having too many ideas.

The annual festival draws upwards of 1,000,000 spectators from all over the country who come to watch master sand sculptors compete for first prize in the Master Sand Sculpting Competition. The festival also features gourmet food trucks, live entertainment, local vendors, exhibitor booths, children’s sand sculpting lessons, and fireworks all over the course of 3 days.

This year’s sponsors include RedBull, Global Petroleum, CDM Smith, Atlantic Properties, Geico, The HYM Investment Group, Eastern Bank, Wheelabrator, Sparkling Ice, Chevrolet, MGH Revere, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, Xfinity, D’Ambrosio Brown LLP, T-Mobile, AL Prime Energy, Today’s Collision, Kelly’s Roast Beef, Honest Tea (Coca Cola), RedGate, Save The Harbor Save the Bay, Speaker of the House Representative Robert DeLeo, Massachusetts Port Authority, Natural Bliss, and Envision Hotel.

 

Hours for the 2018 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, July 22 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. It is recommended to use the MBTA and public transportation to and from this event. The MBTA Blue Line can be taken to the Wonderland or Revere Beach stops. Parking is also available at the Wonderland Garage. For more information about the event or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.internationalsandsculptingfestival.com.