The Sand Sculpture Festival in Middelkerke on the Belgian coast gets underway on Friday with a focus on fairytale-inspired creations. Prepare to be blown away!
The unique festival takes sandcastles to another level, with exquisite designs shaped from one of nature's most basic building blocks. A team of international sculptors has worked to create an otherworldly universe with large-scale replicas of popular fairy-tale characters including Puss in Boots, the Little Mermaid and Snow White to impressively realistic dragons.
The organisers noted that this year more than 6,000 tonnes of sand will be used.
Credit: Sand Sculpture Festival Middelkerke
Various mystical creatures are scattered around the 5,000 m2 festival site. There is also a sand theatre where a performance takes place several times a day. Visitors are welcomed at the grand entrance gate by living wizards, princes and princesses who guide them through the fairytale world.
A scavenger hunt will be organised throughout the day for children, challenging them to find and free characters who have been captured.
Not all creatures made out of sand can be beautiful. Credit: Belga/ Lieven Van Assche
Last year’s edition put the spotlight on dinosaurs and attracted more than 100,000 visitors. The Middelkerke city council hopes to do at least as well this summer.
The Sand Sculpture Festival takes place from 1 July to 10 September. Tickets went on sale on Friday and can be bought online from 10:00 on the organiser's website. The venue is located at the tram stop (De Greefplein) making it accessible for those travelling cheaply by train.
