Central Oregon Coast Town Gets Whimsical with Sandcastle Fest

Published 07/11/2015 at 5:04 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – Every Oregon coast town needs its sandcastle festival, and August 8 will do just that for Lincoln City. Rather, the Taft Beach Sandcastle Contest is held in the Taft district, at the southern end of town – a sort of village within a small town.

Tiny Taft will swell with thousands looking over the graceful and funky creations. Whimsical dogs, sea creatures, pirates – and of course – plenty of castles will cover the strand of the Siletz Bay. Many of these are actual categories, but much is up to last-minute inspiration.

You can be a sand sculptor or simply take in the creativity and fun.

Eric Johnson, Public Relations Coordinator for the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau said this is a relaxed and casual festival with an emphasis on just having fun.

“It is amazing to see what the contestants come up with,” Johnson said. “Even if you're not the most artistic builder, it's a great family and friends bonding experience. This is truly a unique event not to be missed.”

Things begin at 11 a.m. with registration on the dock at SW 51st Street. If you want to participate you must show up to register that day, before you begin. Carving the beach goes until 5 p.m.

There is a fee of one can or more of food per entrant, which will be donated to the Lincoln City Food Pantry.

What you sculpt will be up to you, say Lincoln City officials. But you'll want to keep in mind this is a family event. All entries must use only sand, water, shells and other natural beach materials found in the area that day. You may use hand tools and forms, but these cannot support the actual structure. Absolutely no power tools are allowed.

Kids 12 years old and younger may receive limited advice from adults, and grownups cannot help physically in any way or tell the child what to do. However, you can enter as a family and then grownups are allowed more leeway.

Judging starts at 3:30 p.m. and winners will be announced soon after. You must stay near your construction during this time: in fact you have to present to win.

Professional sand artists are disqualified from winning.

The competition is open to all ages and is categorized accordingly. Groups or families is one category. There are also categories for pairs (couples), individuals over 12 years old, and then for kids under 12 years of age.

In addition to those categories, there will also be various specialized categories to choose from such as The Best Cat, The Best Mermaid, The Best Pirate, and numerous others. Prizes include $100 for each adult category winner. For kids, the awards will be first, second and third place winners, with each taking home a “Beach Bucket Surprise.”

For more information, call the Bay Area Merchants Association (BAMA) at 541-614-0771. See the LIncoln City visitor center site for more information.

More about LIncoln City below and at the Lincoln City Virtual Tour, Map.

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