The Sand Safari Arts Festival showcases bold works of art inspired by the sun, sand and sea, turning the Surfers Paradise beachfront into a sun-kissed open-air art gallery. This year though, the sand-and-sea-inspired shenanigans will spread well beyond the beachside precinct, with several large-scale sand sculptures, a cast of soldier crabs, and community ‘arts and crafts’ zones appearing in libraries, shopping centres and public places across the Gold Coast, as part of the festival’s city-wide Sand Trail activation.

The free event will also host the Australian Sand Sculpturing Championships from February 8 to 10, where you’ll have the unique opportunity to watch on as ten talented international and Australian sculptors each get to work on tonnes of sand to create intricate, life-sized masterpieces to the festival theme ‘treasures of the sea’. You’ll also have the chance to immerse yourself in a walk-through sculpture created from 60-tonnes of sand –psst, the sculpture is complete with lights and sound effects, so visit at night for the full sensory experience!

To view the full event program, head to the Surfers Paradise website