Sand festivals or festivals of sand sculpture are exhibitions of sculptures made of sand carried out in various places around the world. These events usually include a competition.
Traditional sand sculptures are sandcastles. However, at sand festivals one may see virtually any kinds of sculptures you would expect to see in stone, bronze or wood.
The Sand Sculpting Australia festival has been held annually in Frankston, Victoria since 2008, and was held for seven years prior to this on the foreshore at Rye, Victoria. This event features a different theme each year, with the 2008–2009 theme being dinosaurs in an exhibit called "Dinostory".
Germany conducts regular sand festivals in:
2010 : 6.June – 28. August near O2-world
Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik created a sculpture in memory of the victims of the tsunami disaster in Puri, south of the capital of the Indian state of Odisha, Bhubaneshwar. The determination of this man, support, and a consorted effort from his friends in Puri, culminated in the formation of the Golden Sand Art Institute 1995. The institute is an open-air institute with no boundaries and limitations. It is located on the seashore that spans between Hotel May Fair Beach Resort and the Panthanivas in Puri.
Goa Sand Art Festival is an annual event hosted in Goa, in association with Goa Tourism. The ‘Goa Sand Art Festival’ is a three-day festival held at Candolim beach, which is one of the pristine beaches in Goa. It is a three-day art festival held in December on the weekend before Christmas with different themes to highlight a particular issue. The Goa Sand Art Festival conceptualized and organized by Jerry Jose is one of its kind art festivals involving the students and upcoming artists.