1923 Boddeker Road
Galveston, Texas, 77550
United States
The 33rd Annual AIA Sandcastle Competition will take place on Saturday, August 24th at East Beach in Galveston.
The AIA SandCastle Competition is a fund-raising event for AIA Houston and ArCH Foundation as well as one of the top five revenue-generating events for the City of Galveston.
This year over 60 teams has their eyes and shovels set on winning the prestigious Golden Bucket Award. Firms begin months in advance generating ideas, developing designs, and assigning duties. On the day of the event the teams, stretched along the beachfront, meticulously sculpt their piles of sand and work non-stop for five hours.
The judging of the sculptures is rated on originality of concept, artistic execution, technical difficulty, carving technique, and utilization of the site. In addition to the Golden Bucket, awards are given in several categories including Best Traditional Castle, Best Architectural Icon, Kidtastic! – LEGO Edition, Best Science Fiction, Best Sports and Houston-centric as well as best team t-shirt design, best team signage, best costume, and public favorite.
At the end of the day, everyone goes home with memories of a great day at the beach filled with fun, sand, and sun.
The schedule for the day is:
- 9am: Watch how the pros prepare and set up in order to build large scale sculptures. Feel free to ask questions about their techniques and tools as well as post your photos using #AIASandCastle.
- 10am-3pm: SandCastle building, music, and refreshments. Valid ID is required to get beer from the beer tents.
- 1-3:30pm: Public favorite voting: be sure to vote for your favorite sand sculptures!
- 3-4pm: Sandcastle judging
- 4:30pm: Team T-shirt design presentation and Awards ceremony at the stage
After the event, the general public is great at respecting the sand sculptures. Please remind the kids not to climb on them. The sculptures always last throughout Sunday and into Monday as they slowly crumble away. This is the perfect time to come back and carefully get in close to take some photographs.
Parking at East Beach Galveston is $15, cash only, and is collected by the Galveston Parks Board. There is no ATM.
Feel free to bring your own picnic, coolers, and chairs and enjoy the beach.
Please contact East Beach at (409)762-EAST or visit galveston.com/beachparks with questions.
