What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival

Just a heads up, I’m not entirely sure if the Sand Sculpting Festival will happen this year because of Covid, but it’s still nice to see what “normally” happens at this time of the year!

When I first moved up here, I believed that people wore sweaters all year round, and they didn’t have beaches, and if they do, it’s probably more like British beaches that are rocky and not sandy. I was really sad, and it also didn’t help that we moved to Massachusetts in December and everything was covered in snow with more snow to come. However, spring was such an amazing time and when summer came around I can’t tell you how happy I was to discover I actually lived closer to a beach than I ever have in Florida and it’s actually pretty nice!

If you’ve never been to Massachusetts or Revere and you want to see what they do for fun at the beach this post should inspire you.

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What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

One thing that soothed me about moving here is that I happened to find a travel channel episode about Boston on YouTube and the host of the show visited Revere. It wasn’t like Florida, lined with beach shops and palm trees, but the ocean was right there and it had sand which made it good enough for me. Another thing that really made me happy is that it is accessible from the Blue Line subway! All you have to do is ride the Blueline all the way down to its Wonderland stop (which is also its last stop) and there’s the beach!

As if that wasn’t cool enough every year in July they have an amazing INTERNATIONAL Sand Sculpting Festival!!! Last year, I was able to attend and it was a huge amount of fun. There where competitors from India, Russia, and China just to name a few and what they were creating was absolutely AMAZING! Here are just a few of the sculptures I saw!

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

One of the star attractions was this sculpture dedicated to when man first stepped foot on the Moon 50 years ago. It was a very touching piece complete with news clips reporting the landing, as well as the famous line “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” which I found very touching.

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

This one was entitled “Horse Power” for obvious reasons. I loved the cutouts as well as the precision when it came to the gears.

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

This sculpture was inspired by the fire that almost burned down the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in France, earlier in April of 2019.

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

While I forget the name of this piece, I seem to remember seeing this artist’s work a previous year because he always does pieces influenced heavily by Sci-Fi and they always look like something designed by H.R. Giger.

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

I love this piece entitled “The Birth of a New Universe”. Who knew Art Nouveau and sand would work so well together!

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

Naturally, you can’t go to the beach and NOT see a mermaid. I especially love the hair “cut-outs” which make it look a lot less like sand and more like flowing hair.

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

and last but by no means least, is my absolute favorite of the day. This one was called “Shelter” a play on words with the obvious shell theme. Again, I’m a huge fan of the cut-outs and just the flow of the piece in general and with the backdrop of the ocean, it was just picturesque.

The other thing about this festival is that the food trucks are all there! There of course is the usual festival food like burgers, hotdogs, fried foods, and funnel cakes, but they also had Mexican food trucks, dumpling food trucks, and at least two ice cream trucks (my favorite is the Cookie Monstah) They do get crowded, so I tend to get an early lunch but it’s fun to see all the options. I stopped at the Teri-Yummy truck and got a delicious bowl of chicken Terriyaki with a fried egg. It was delicious!

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

I tend to show up early to events and leave once the crowds start getting to me, and I recommend the same to you. This is a really popular attraction and it can get pretty crowded, but as you can see by the pictures below, if you get there early in the morning there’s hardly anyone out and you can scope out the sand sculptures and food trucks before the majority of people start showing up.

If crowds and sandcastles are just not your thing, don’t worry, you still have over three miles of beach to walk, jog, or lounge on with lots of fun restaurants and people to see along the way. One Iconic place to go for lunch (though it can also get crowded) is called Kelly’s Roast Beef, Seafood and Sandwiches and they have this seafood platter that I always get. It’s a mix of fried clams and scallops and it’s SO GOOD, but also a bit on the pricey side, so I don’t get it often. But having lunch on the beach is one of my favorite things to do.

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me

Revere isn’t a Florida beach, but every summer I am so thankful I am able to at least go to a beach of some kind, and in that way, Revere has earned a place in my heart. So if you’re visiting Massachusetts and want to go to a fun event on the beach please check out Revere Beach International Sand Sculpture Competition and save the date! If you go, please let me know how it went for you in the comments and if you want me to like your pictures just tag me on your social media! Have a beautiful day! -Heather Astaneh

What to Expect at Revere’s International Sand Sculpting Festival by autumnbecomes.me