One of the coolest events that takes place every summer in Galveston, is the AIA Sandcastle Competition! This year’s event will take place on August 20 & 21, 2022 at East Beach. (As of this writing, Someday Came Beach Condo is still available for rent that weekend!) According to Visit Galveston, “Every summer in Galveston, experience over 60 teams competing to win the prestigious Golden Bucket Award. The AIA Sandcastle Competition is a fundraising event for AIA Houston and ArCH Foundation as well as one of the top five revenue-generating events for the City of Galveston.”
The 35th Annual AIA Sandcastle Competition Facebook Event says, “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 Gold Bucket, Silver Shovel and Bronze Shovel, awards are given for Sustainability, College Challenge, Structural Ingenuity, Team T-shirt and Team Sign. The themed categories are Traditional Castle, Architectural Icon, and – NEW FOR 2022 – Pop Culture (Food, Selfies & Social Media…What’s your Hashtag?), Kidtastic – Board Games, Space Race (NASA JSC 60th Anniversary) and Americana (Route 66 + Midcentury America). At the end of the day, everyone goes home with memories of a great day at the beach filled with fun, sand, and sun.”
Sandcastle building, judging and awards take place on Saturday. You can view the completed sand sculptures on Sunday. The snack bar will be open and there will be food trucks at the event, as well. Parking is available, umbrellas and chairs may be rented in advance, and pets are welcome, but they must be on a leash.
Not only is this a really fun event, but it also provides the funding for some of the programs run by the City of Galveston. In fact, it is one of the top five revenue-generating events for the city. I don’t know about you, but I especially love to attend events that support an important project or service!
If you’ve always wanted to learn the techniques the pros use to create their masterpieces, you’re in luck! Sandcastle building classes are available at the event. I also love the fact that us amateurs even get a vote! Those attending the event get to select the Public Favorite Award!