Event Preview: Siesta Key Crystal Classic

By Nick Friedman
| 3:32 p.m. November 10, 2014

Arts + Entertainment
Things To Do

Of all the resources that make Sarasota a world-class destination, Siesta Key Beach is surely at the top of the list. Its ultra-fine, white quartz sand helped earn it Dr. Beach's No. 1 beach designation in 2011, which put our beach on the map for travelers around the world.

But the fine white sand isn't just good for winning awards — it's also great for sand sculpting. In the last three years, the professional sculptors who make their way to Sarasota for the Siesta Key Crystal Classic sand sculpting competition have named the beach among their favorites.

The competition, now in its fifth year, returns to Siesta Key Public Beach this Friday, Nov. 14.

If you've never been to the competition, I won't lie— you're missing out. If you've spent any time at the beach, at one point, you've likely attempted to form the sand around your feet into something, and if you're like me, the results are, well ... underwhelming.

This is your chance to watch the pros do it. Throughout the several-day event, master sculptors and amateurs alike put their skills on display, expertly crafting the sand into hyperrealistic, larger-than-life sculptures that somehow resemble marble more than sand.

The detail and craftsmanship in the sculptures is something that photos can't do justice, so get out to the beach and take it all in in person.

IF YOU GO:

Siesta Key Crystal Classic — takes place this Friday, Nov. 14 to Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Siesta Key Public Beach. Admission is $6 per day. Click here for a complete schedule.

— Photos courtesy of Crystal Classic and Peter Acker