Eighth Annual Wildwood Crest Sand Sculpting Festival is Friday, July 10th

UPDATE – 7/8/2020: Due to the threat of heavy rain, the 8th annual Wildwood Crest Sand Sculpting Festival has been moved from Friday, July 10 to Saturday, July 11.

The event will be held on the beach at Heather Road from 9 am to 2 pm.

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PRESS RELEASE

WILDWOOD CREST – Families, friends and kids of all ages who love playing in the sand should start making plans to attend the Eighth Annual Wildwood Crest Sand Sculpting Festival on Friday, July 10, from 9 am until 2 pm on the beach next to the Wildwood Crest Beach Pier at Heather Road.

Grab your  buckets and shovels and get ready to create works of art. Making sand castles at the beach has been a fun summertime activity since the first shell washed ashore, and now this great American pastime is coming back to Wildwood Crest in a big way.

The contest is being organized in conjunction with Can You Dig It Sand Tools and is directed by internationally known sand sculptor Matt Long.

Long is a regular competitor at master competitions, including the World Championships of Sand Sculpting, and is an original cast member of the former Travel Channel Show "Sand Masters." Long's career in sand sculpting began right here in South Jersey at amateur events like this one.

Registration for the contest is FREE and will begin at 9 am on the day of the event. Pre-registration can also be done by emailing michele@sandtools.com.

Social distancing measures will be in effect for the event. Participants and spectators are encouraged to wear masks. A perimeter will be set up around the sculptures to help with social distancing efforts.

Sculptures will be judged on creativity, execution, composition and overall presentation. Prizes and awards will be presented to the top three winners in each division. There will also be a People's Choice award for the Best on the Beach, where the winner is voted by spectator ballot.

To ensure a level playing field, the contest will have six separate divisions ranging from solo youth and youth groups to solo adult and adult teams. For the fourth straight year, there will also be a pro-am division for participants with more sand sculpting experience.

All other entertainment surrounding the festival has been cancelled in order to try to prevent large groups of people from gathering at the event for long periods of time, in compliance with Executive Order 152 by Governor Phil Murphy that limits the amount of people permitted at outdoor social gatherings.

For additional information, call 609-523-0202 or visit www.wildwoodcrest.org.