20 sand castles and sculptures that are total works of art
For most of us, playing with sand involves packing it in buckets or burying out friends up to their necks. Even if we were to make a sculpture or real sandcastle of some sort, it would hardly be a work of art.
But sand truly is an artistic medium.
Don’t believe us? Take a look at these elaborate beach sculptures:
1. Fit for a king
While it’s not the most elaborate castle, it’s a good way to get ready to see some amazing stuff that will put your plastic bucket and shovel creations to shame.
Then again, we’d be happy to be making elementary sandcastles on the beach right now, even if they were no good.
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2. Triton’s last words
Triton looks pretty concerned. It can’t be because he’s about to get swallowed up by the water – that’s where he built his kingdom.
But perhaps he’d like humans to stop throwing trash in it.
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3. No day at the beach
Maybe Triton hired this guy to keep his beaches clean.
It’s a pretty amazing piece – and as far as we can tell part of a beach sculpture exhibition in Denmark.
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4. For scale
It’s hard to imagine how enormous some of these sculptures are until you see a human next to them for comparison purposes.
This creation was part of a Belgian festival by Benjamin Probanza in 2003, according to the caption.
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5. Next level sandcastle
Wow.
Well, we certainly can’t make that out of an overturned bucket of sand. That’s some next-level artistry!
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6. At the beach, you are
Star Wars is everywhere.
Yoda here was doling out wisdom at a past International Sand Sculptures Festival in Portugal.
We’re pretty sure Anakin Skywalker didn’t show up – he really doesn’t like sand.
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7. Every grain tells a story
This sculpture got a tiny boost from some props but is still well beyond anything we’ve seen involving sand.
At least one person in this creation is not having a great day at the beach in the Canary Islands.
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8. Gaudi-inspired
This amazing castle was built on the beach in Queensland, Australia by sand sculptor Arron Mccormick.
We’re just wildly impressed that it appears to sit out in the open, largely undisturbed – apparently, no bullies are kicking down sandcastles down under.
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9. Tourist attraction
Click through the carousel to see the amazing creations built for a festival on Puri Beach, in Odisha, India.
It’s one of the most beautiful beaches around, even when there’s no art in sight. The location is also sacred for Hindus.
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10. The whole world in its hands
After a bout of mumps as a teen left him nearly blind, Dennis Massoud also suffered massive injuries from a car accident. He now makes sand sculptures for a living.
This is one of his most famous pieces, sculpted on a beach in the Canary Islands.
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11. Sand cathedral
You don’t have to go to Paris to see Notre Dame. This replica once lay on the beach in the coastal city of Ostend in the Flemish region of Belgium.
The city is filled with parks and beaches to enjoy.
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12. Sand troll
This little guy prefers to spend his time away from the crowds and under bridges.
Watch out for him when you’re walking around Denmark.
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13. Sand goddess
This spiraling goddess was carved with mathematical precision.
And yet, it looks like it was created with more passion than plan.
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14. Warriors
This stunning photo of Egyptian soldiers on the beach was taken by photographer Thierry Mouny, though we’re not sure if it’s in Egypt.
No matter where it is, we’d love to see more of it!
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15. World’s largest sandcastle
It’s hard to tell from the photo since there’s nothing there for scale, but this holds the title of the World’s Tallest Sandcastle.
Interestingly, it’s not even located on a beach but lies in a German industrial city called Duisburg.
An international team of sculptors created the over-54-foot-high masterpiece.
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16. Short but mighty
It might be only a few feet tall, but height isn’t everything when it comes to sand sculpture.
We hope you go to enjoy the magnificent beach in Benidorm, Spain because the castle is fiercely guarded by a dragon.
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17. When can we move in?
Even the trees are magnificent in this sandy masterpiece.
The beautiful Italian coastal region where it was built is a favorite of Instagram influencers – so there’s people watching to do as well as sandcastles to be admired.
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18. Beach of the apes
Someone has a great sense of humor for what we presume is a riff on the final scene from Planet of the Apes.
Or maybe it’s just you’re average banana-eating ape astronaut hanging out on the beach in Portugal.
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19. Simple and stunning
This beautiful and futuristic-looking piece was found on Jinshan Beach in Shanghai, China.
These incredible sculptures can obviously be found all over the world.
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20. Getting some sun
We want to be where this guy is!
Not just on the beach, but on the beach in Juan-les-Pins in France!
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Ok, we’re ready for some sun and sand now, how about you?
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