The 74th annual Great Sand Castle Contest–one of the oldest sand castle contests in the country–returned to Long Beach Saturday with live music, arts and crafts vendors and a kids zone.
This year’s event also included a corporate challenge that pitted area restaurants, city departments and realtors against each other for a coveted trophy and bragging rights.
Sculptures were judged on the basis of three categories: creativity and uniqueness; design and difficulty; and best overall display and concept.
Nearby, the Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Airport brought professional artist Larry Safady to the beach for a series of sand castle-building workshops that demonstrated how experienced sand sculptors make the giant dragons, ships, turtles and castles using only beach sand and water.
Safady crafted a series of sand sculptures based on the Port of Long Beach and Long Beach Airport that featured elements of transportation and commerce.
