Sand Safari 2016

By Thomas Souness.

I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere – Anakin Skywalker. A terrible line, from a terrible movie; so let’s move on quickly…

For those who don’t hate sand, the annual Gold Coast Sand Safari might be right up your alley.

Presented by Streets Ice Cream over the course of three weeks, beginning February 5, Sand Safari is a sand-sculpting extraordinaire. Spanning the Gold Coast from Tweed Heads to Loganholme, Sand Safari will be ready to blow you away no matter where you’re situated. Utilising over 50 tonnes of golden sand, this year’s theme is Dreamworks Heroes, which any parent will know to be a sure-fire hit with the kids. For the DreamWorks Heroes Exhibition, international sculptors Jakub Zimacek and Jan Zelinka will be creating giant sand sculptures in the image of famous characters such as Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, the creatures of Madagascar, and much more.

The main event will be the 2016 Australian Sand Sculpting Championships, which will commence on February 12 with the 2016 championship winner set to be announced on Feb 14. If you can’t make it down on those days, to witness the magic of professional sand-sculpting never fear. The sculptures will stay open for viewing until Sunday, Feb 28.

It’s not all sand! To add a little extra to the three-week festival, international artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas will add to Sand Safari’s sand and sea theme, by contributing fiant inflatable street art and urban inventions. Keep an eye out for massive octopus, green tentacles and hanging jellyfish. There will also be pop-up photographic gallery and photography competition to showcase the work of professionals, amateurs and students alike from all across the Gold Coast.

To keep an eye out for more info, such as the soon-to-be-released Sand Trail Adventure Map, see the website.

Sand Safari runs February 5 – 28