Imperial Beach Hosts Sand Castle Competition

Friday, 22 July 2011
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

There’s never been a better time to play in the sand.

This weekend, Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24, the Port of San Diego’s member city of Imperial Beach will host the 31st Annual U.S. Sandcastle Competition.

The event is expected to draw thousands, according to Imperial Beach officials. Professional and amateur sand carving teams from across the state and the nation, will compete in the sand castle building competition, with more than $21,000 in cash prizes up for grabs.

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Competing teams will begin transforming the sand into works of art beginning at 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Sculptures are only available for viewing until 4 p.m., due to the tides.

Seacoast Drive will be closed to traffic for the event, beginning Saturday at 12 a.m. and will reopen Sunday evening after the competition. Parking is limited, so spectators are encouraged to arrive early.

More than 140 vendors will participate in a street festival Saturday, featuring entertainment, food, arts and crafts, and lots of fun. There will also be a Kids-N-Kastles Competition on Saturday afternoon.

Trained representatives for the US Open Sandcastle Competition will judge all categories, and name the winners Sunday during the awards ceremony.

Last year’s winning team was the “IB Posse.” They took the top prize for a sculpture titled, "Got Oil?" The team drew inspiration from the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Port of San Diego employee Matt McCoy was on the winning team. He said this year, the team is working on a tribute to the military.

Imperial Beach is one of five Port of San Diego member cities, with roughly 400 acres of prime beachfront property. Since 1990 when the city joined the Port family, Imperial Beach and port have partnered on several projects that have helped revitalize some of the popular oceanfront area, including the landmark Imperial Beach Pier.