Sand Safari Arts Festival

This February, the Gold Coast is embracing a more childlike mindset and transforming the golden beaches of Surfers Paradise into a sand castle and sculpture heaven!

The annual Sand Safari Arts Festival kicked off on the 9th of February and is definitely worth a visit. As an added bonus, it is free!

Amongst all the amazing creations, you’ll find the pieces that are part of the Australian Sand Sculpting Championships where creative genius’ go head-to-head recreating their childhood dreams but life size!

The fun doesn’t stop once the sun goes down; as Surfers Paradise starts its night time hustle and bustle, so does the beach. If you’re a local to Surfers Paradise, you will have seen the interesting characters dangling from the sky of Cavill Ave and along the Esplanade. At night these installations light up the sky in all shapes and sizes making for a perfect Instagram moment.

There is so much for everyone to enjoy and get involved in, plus, if you feel like getting some sand under your nails, there are sand sculpting workshops from 10am daily on the foreshore to test and hone your skills.

The Festival reaches much further than just Surfers Paradise. This years Sand Trail is bigger and better than ever, spanning all the way from Helensvale to Burleigh with several stepping stones between. As part of Sand Trail, many locations such as community libraries and shopping centres are playing host to a number of talented artists creating sand sculptures on-site. Even if you aren’t a fan of the beach, you’ll be able to check out the artwork from afar.

Fun tip: This year you can go into the draw to win a massive $3500 gift voucher by snapping pics on your Sand Trail journey and uploading them to Instagram with #sandsafari2018. The more stops you make, the greater chance you have to win!

When: Until 25 February

Where: The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise and beyond

Check out all the action by heading to surfersparadise.com.au.

words by andy reid