International Sand Sculpture Festival to Take Place in St. Petersburg

An international festival of sand sculpture will begin for the second time in St. Petersburg on July 2. The beach under the wall of the Peter and Paul Fortress will become the realm of the enthusiasts of sand castles, etc. for four days. The first such festival was a great success. Over 100,000 spectators wishing to see 15 sand-sculptured groups then visited the beach. The most interesting works in the series 'City Images of the World' were done by participants from Finland, the US, and Ireland.

The art of sand-sculpture is widespread throughout the world. Grandiose sand sculpture festivals and world competitions are held in Japan, the US, Canada, Denmark, Holland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and other countries, attracting masses of spectators. In St. Petersburg, the first sand sculpture was made a year ago on the Space Flight Day. The creators of the 4-meter-tall composition set the record of Russia and were entered in the Russian version of Guinness Book of Records.

This time, only 15 foreign participating teams are expected to arrive from Czechia, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Sweden, Latvia and Ukraine. Two more teams will represent St. Petersburg. Other participants will come from Petrozavodsk, Kargopol, Arkhangelsk, and the Republic of Yakutia. The declared topic is The Rush Hour. The participants will be asked to create compositions most fully reflecting contemporary large city life.

After the sculptured compositions are completed and the winners get their awards, the sculptures will be opened to public until the end of the month of July. The judges will include St. Petersburg's artists, members of the city administration, the Consuls General of the participating countries, and team leaders. Brothers Balek and Lubocz Husak from Czecia, participants and repeated winners of many sand and ice sculpture festivals, will create an out-of-competition sculpture. The St. Petersburg sand sculpture festival is a scheduled event in a series of such festivals united by a common idea held as part of the programme of the city's tercentenary.