Scheveningen Sand Sculptures

May 2011

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During May and June, since 1991, Scheveningen hosts its annual Sand Sculpture Festival, when the beach and boulevard are dominated by massive sand sculptures. It is the longest-running sand sculpture festival in the world and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The sculpting is carried out by the Sand Academy, which consists of a dozen sand carvers from countries such as Mexico, Ukraine, England and Russia as well as The Netherlands. The sculptures are made from special sculpting sand dredged deposits along the Maas River: this sand consists of angular grains mixed with silt and clay, which stick together well.