We were in the area and I really wanted to check this out. I love art and this is a really interesting medium. If you decide to go, just know that there is no admission fee and you are free to come and enjoy the beach and sculptures, but it will cost you $5 per hour to park plus a small convenience fee and parking is quite limited. I was disappointed to see that though sculptures made with sand from treasure Island. I assume there was a logistical reason, that it seemed a little strange to me. I was also a little surprised by the designs and styles of the sculptures. There were actually very few that had an ocean or sand theme, with many artists choosing things that work personal to them. It was a very interesting experience. Also they leave the statues up, so if you are unable to attend, you can come and see the statues for a few weeks after the event. read more

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I am always blown away by the creativeness and skill set that the sand artists have. This is my first time to experience Sanding Ovations. It is located on Teasure Island Beach in front of Sloppy Joes. If you get there early enough there is the beach parking you can use but also plenty of event parking throughout the area that you'd just have to walk a little from. The beach parking is hourly so if you plan on spending some time down in that area walking around or eating after you see the sculptures it may be worth your bang to get into one of the flat rate parking locations. This event had an opening weekend with all the works, vendors, music, etc but was open all week basically 24/7 because it is not in tents or a secured area like the Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater is. I went during the week early to avoid as many people as I can for my photos. They were also having an encore weekend the following weekend that would also have all the vendors, etc. Each piece you could fully walking around to get different angles for photos and see just how much detail went into these temporary pieces of art. Just beautiful and though a little windy when I went, the weather was perfect. This is a free event but they did have a donation box out that noted to help keep this free, donations are welcomed. read more

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Really cool event on treasure Island. Sand sculptures that look like they took hours and hours to make. This year's theme was once upon a time so they were fairy tales. Some really cool and intricate sand sculptures. Definitely recommend it. read more

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Sanding Ovations is a nice little event that has been going on at Treasure Island beach for years, but for some reason I didn't know existed until this year. I was online seeing what happenings were going on around me and came across this and decided to go because it was the last weekend they were having the event. The location is basically right on the beach and easy to find, just look for the giant sand sculptures. Parking is basically anywhere you can find a lot to park, some of which are charging upwards of $20 to park which is insane. Anyways, the even itself is pretty contained and spaced out to give room to walk around and admire all the sand art sculptures that were made for the event this year. My favorite was the tortoise. It was insanely big and detailed, much like many of the others. The event is free to walk around and take pictures, however they do have vendors selling food and little things that they have made, some of which are rather expensive for what it may be, but its small business so it makes sense. It is a very nice little thing to see but once you have walked around the art, there is not much else to do unless you plan on staying at the beach the entire day. Something you should check out at least once a year to admire all the new sculptures that are created! read more

After seeing on the news that Sanding Ovations would be on Treasure Island my hubby & I decided to go. I have to say there was hardly any signs as we approached the area. It was difficult, if you're not from this area to know exactly where it was. We didn't see any signs directing you where to park either. We drove into the extremely small beach parking lot which was completely full. There was a senior citizen standing there with a vest on who was with the event. I asked him where you park and he instructed us to park at the community center. This area was metered parking and cost $10 for 2 hours. This was a decent walk there and back after walking around the beach in the heat. . The event is free to get in. There were about 10 sand sculptures. The artists are from all over the world. They travel around the world creating beautiful sand sculptures for all kinds of clients. There were many vendors set up as well. There was food, drinks, bars, snacks and many retail booths. There were a few tables to sit at but not enough. There was no shade anywhere! If you go bring a hat!! This is an event that I just learned is held here every year at this time. Although it was nice, I thought it would be much bigger. If I went again, I would go to the beach there for the day and just have a look at the sculptures at that time. read more

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Took our toddler to Sandlantis today and it was super rad! Located directly behind the Bilmar hotel, there are a lot of parking options detailed on their website and you can also use the BITE trolley or free Island Hopper vans (don't forget to tip!). We walked from John's Pass and the northernmost part of Treasure Island beach and then grabbed an Island Hopper on the return trip. There were roughly a dozen sculptures and it's hard to pick a favorite because there were so many fabulous designs. The sand around the sculptures is packed down to make walking easier and we were able to push our toddler in his stroller in most areas. There were tons of craft vendors and some really tasty food trucks and pop up options too. And at least one beer tent. I think I saw a second one but we weren't drinking so it wasn't high on my list. No lines for that though. The empanadas and the Dole whip stood out, but there were sausage sandos, Greek gyro, pizza, tacos, lemonade, BBQ and much more. Lines were not bad around lunch time on a Saturday. The kite area next door is also really cool. Our toddler got a kick out of the giant kites sailing above and all the little kite crabs and critters scurrying about on the ground. This is a free event but we donated in the donation boxes they set up because we want the event to keep happening and it really was a unique and fun way to spend the day. Bring sunscreen, water and maybe a smal towel if you want to take a break. There were some tables and chairs for people who were eating, but not a ton. A towel or small beach chair would come in handy for people watching and enjoying the nice weather. read more

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Sanding Ovations is a Master Sand Sculpture Competion held every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving in Treasure Island. It's a collection of sand sculptures by Master Sand Sculptures from all over the world. I saw from the signs that they come from places like Russia and Ontario, and other areas in the United States. This year there was about 11 sculptures. From pirates to snowmen to abstract art to an angel with a serpent. These sculpturists are very creative. They also have a number of vendors including ones with purses, accessories, decorations for the house, and apparel, as well as food, alcohol, and a band. It's a fun little thing to check out, and the weather was perfect. We were right on the beach. The hardest part honestly is getting there. Parking is lacking. We rode the shuttle bus. It was $5 for a car load, and they pick you up at different locations and drop you off right across the street from the beach where it takes place. It's much better than paying from $10-20 and searching like crazy for parking. This is our second time to see these sand sculptures. I think they are okay, but I have also seen bigger ones with more detail. It's still a nice sight and experience. It's free for the sand sculptures here where at others you do have to pay for, so that is a positive. read more

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We got there early on Sunday morning around 10. It wasn't so bad finding a parking spot. The weather was very nice to walk around the beach and enjoy the artistic sand sculptures. Blue and sunny sky, fluffy white clouds, fine sand beach with some colorful kites frying nearby, it was a beautiful backdrop for awesome pictures. Most of the sand sculptures were quite interesting. I loved the "shell phone" idea. People had to wear mask and keep social distance due to the pandemic. A lot of events and Festival had been canceled this year. Lots of artists have hard time finding incomes. I appreciated the organization keep this event going. There were vendors selling clothing, art and craft and food. I got some beautiful glass pendant jewellery, and fresh caramel kettle corn. We found a unique vendor selling Hawaii honey cone-the soft serve of choice filling in the U shape ice cream cone. It was quite good. Overall, it was a fun family event. read more

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The Treasure Island Beach Sanding Ovation have 11 sand sculpture. It is located at the Gulf Blvd. and the 104 Ave at Treasure Island Beach. The competition is over last week but they will left the sculpture until begin of December. The parking there is difficult unless you park at the public beach parking area. The business make thing difficult to park and require small fees. Even the Walgreen only allow 30 min parking only. We visited at night time before 10 pm. The sculpture is lid up and stand tall at it own. The sculpture draw a lot night vacationer from the nearby hotel to visit. Visit at night is interesting. Wear a light jacket since the wind blow strong and cool. I like a few sculpture with front and back of the sculpture change. Some show three way sculpture look on three different angle. read more

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We were looking forward to this event after hearing about it on the news. We knew it was on Treasure Island beach but it was hard to find where to go. The parking is very limited and you either have to take a chance getting towed if you park in a business lot (which we didn't want to do) or pay $20 for the event parking (ouch!). We paid the $$ and walked and walked until we found it. The sand sculptures are amazing! The rest was just okay. A lot of t-shirts, typical carnival type foods, Christmas ornaments and other knick knacks for sale. There also was a band playing. It is a cool idea for the sand sculpture contest but maybe next year find a better parking/shuttle situation. read more

Sanding Ovations - Festivals Near Me - Treasure Island, Florida

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Beautiful sand sculptures constructed by artists from around the world. My husband and I were staying at Treasure Island Beach Resort after our wedding and stumbled upon this art exhibit on the beach behind our resort! It was a pleasant surprise. Some of the sculptures had fallen apart due to stability issues and sadly vandalism, but they were all beautiful to look at! I would love to see the artists working on them one year! read more

Drove to "Sanding Ovations" on Friday from Orlando. Sand sculptures small, unimpressive and not finished. The largest sculpture was the sponsors. While I didn't expect it to be Virginia Beach, I did expect more. No directional signs. Parking was a mess. Shuttle was poor. For handicap it was not a great display. Would not go back and would not advise anyone else to go. Sent an email on Monday requesting information for handicap. No response. Should have been an indication that this was amateur hour. Too bad for the sponsors. Not good use of their money. read more