Looking for a beach day? Before La Niña starts to bring rain over the Bay Area, head to Ocean Beach and support one of the Bay Area’s most exciting beachside events, the Sandcastle Classic! This weekend is set to be warm and sunny – the perfect weather to enjoy the beach and watch teams build impressive and enormous sandcastles, while supporting Bay Area schools. 

In its 42nd year, Leap’s event has grown to Northern California’s largest sandcastle competition, while supporting local Bay Area schools. Founded in 1979, Leap Arts in Education aims to provide high quality arts education programs to students across the Bay Area. Their residency programs currently serve over 8,500 students in 30 schools, helping build their confidence and prepare them for future success in and out of school. Their program focuses include architecture, creative writing, dance, music, theater, and visual arts. If you are interested in volunteering with Leap, sign up here

The Sandcastle Classic is especially important to Leap’s mission, as it contributes 30% of the costs needed to maintain and expand their educational programs. This year, they have a fundraising goal of $300,000 for the event. If you are interested in donating, you can donate to a specific team or the whole event here

This year’s theme is “Out of this World”, so teams will include space and alien inspired themes in their sand creations! Official teams are usually composed of architects, engineers, contractors, designers and corporations with help from local elementary students. Though the deadline to register has already passed, individuals can also walk in on the day of the competition without officially registering. 

You are also invited to watch the event live at Ocean Beach on Saturday, October 26. Check-in for builders begins at 8am on the morning of the event, and the official sandcastle competition begins at 11am with a live DJ onstage. Teams will build until 2:30pm at which point the competition’s judges will make their rounds, and the awards ceremony will happen from 3-3:30pm. The teams are competing for awards like “Best in Show,” “Best Team T-Shirt,” “People’s Choice Award,” “Tallest Structure,” “Best Teamwork”, and more! See more about the event here!

More Helpful Articles

Local Adventure: Hike Across San Francisco

Local Adventure: Hike Across San Francisco

Did you know you can hike across San Francisco in a day? From Candlestick Park to Baker Beach, the Crosstown Trail offers a journey through some of the city's most iconic neighborhoods. This journey covers 17 miles of the city and takes approximately 7 hours. It will...

read more
Spring Cleaning Reimagined

Spring Cleaning Reimagined

As the days grow longer and temperatures rise, spring cleaning has arrived. Contrary to popular belief, you can turn this seasonal refreshment into a fun, gratifying activity. The mood for the day starts with music. As you gear up for the day, curate a playlist of...

read more
Celebrate Pi Day in the Bay

Celebrate Pi Day in the Bay

Happy Pi Day! While 3.14 typically represents the beginning of π, it also represents National Pi Day! Pi Day, March 14 (3/14), was started in San Francisco 38 years ago by Exploratorium staff physicist, tinkerer, and media specialist Larry Shaw. Since then, Pi Day has...

read more