The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival is back for its 11th year, launching Friday, April 11, and running through Sunday, April 27, with more attractions and more sand than ever before.

This beloved Clearwater Beach tradition promises a packed schedule of free beach concerts, salsa dancing, fireworks, a Ferris wheel, and more—all set against the backdrop of jaw-dropping sand sculptures. This year’s theme, “Dinoshores,” brings prehistoric giants to life with a little help from modern tech and a whole lot of creativity.

To accommodate the expanded features, the main exhibit tent has grown by 3,000 square feet, now totaling 24,000 square feet. Inside, 17 master sculptors from across the globe will transform sand into an immersive dinosaur world—complete with a cutting-edge augmented reality experience.

“The new augmented reality section uses projection mapping to make the sculptures come alive through imagery and video,” said festival organizer Lisa Chandler on April 7.

Lisa and her husband, Steve—owners of Pier 60 Concessions and the Sunsets at Pier 60 Festival—say they’ve pulled out all the stops this year. With eight nights of free concerts sponsored by Frenchy’s and the return of fan-favorites like the Ferris wheel, the Chandlers are hoping to draw record crowds.

“After back-to-back hurricanes, many people assumed we’d cancel this year,” Lisa said. “But the City of Clearwater completed recovery efforts in record time, which allowed us to move forward. Tourism is critical here—it’s Clearwater Beach’s number one economic driver.”

She encouraged locals to come out and enjoy the festival too.

“We really want our Tampa Bay neighbors to celebrate what’s in their own backyard,” she added.

As always, the heart of the festival is the world-class sand sculpting. For Florida native Gresham Glover—who now lives in Portugal and has sculpted across the globe—the Sugar Sand Festival holds special meaning.

“This is where I got my start, working on a sculpture for the Super Bowl in Tampa,” Glover said. That project launched his international career. “So, it’s special to be back here.”

Born in Rockledge and raised in Melbourne, Glover is participating in the Sugar Sand Festival for the first time and praised the team behind the event.

“They put the community first and really focus on supporting the local economy, which means a lot to us artists,” he said.

Veteran sculptor Brian Turnbough, visiting from the Chicago area, echoed the sentiment. He appreciates how the event focuses on collaboration rather than competition.

“Art doesn’t always need to be a contest,” Turnbough said. “Here, it’s about working together to create something amazing.”

He summed it up best: “Seventeen of the world’s best sand sculptors, one epic theme, and Clearwater Beach sand—for 17 days. You don’t see that just anywhere.”

For more information, go to: www.sugarsandfestival.com

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Google, & X

(Image credit: Jeff Rosenfield/Tampa Bay Newspapers)

PIE-Sun.com: local St. Pete-Clearwater news