Revere Beach will turn into a temporary outdoor art gallery this weekend as master sculptors build detailed works from sand and water.
The 22nd annual Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival runs from Friday, July 17, through Sunday, July 19.
The free festival brings artists from several countries to America’s first public beach. It also includes food trucks, live entertainment, amusement rides, family activities, and a fireworks show.
This year’s theme is “Boston Welcomes the World.” Organizers chose the theme after the Boston area hosted games during the 2026 World Cup.
Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival Hours And Schedule
The festival will take place along Revere Beach Boulevard between Shirley Avenue and Chester Avenue.
Festival hours are:
- Friday, July 17: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, July 18: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, July 19: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission is free.
A 30-minute fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 18. Organizers plan to synchronize the fireworks with music. The time may change because of the weather. Festival officials list the full dates and hours online.
More than 75 food vendors, food trucks, and exhibitors are expected. Visitors will also find interactive activities and amusement rides along the beach.
Master Sand Sculptors Come To Revere Beach
The festival’s main attraction is its master sand sculpting competition.
This year’s artists come from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and Poland. The lineup includes Marie-Line Gagné, Bouke Atema, Sèveline Beauregard, Morgan Rudluff, Joon Park, Hanneke Supply, Jonathan “Jobi” Bouchard, Patrick Harsch, Ndricim “Jimmy” Bejko, and Slavian Borecki.
Chris Guinto and Melineige Beauregard, a Hawaii-based sculpting team, will also take part in the event.
The artists bring different backgrounds to the competition. Some also work with ice, snow, stone, foam, bronze, and other materials. Others entered sand sculpting after working in graphic design, film, painting, illustration, or the circus arts.
Visitors can watch the artists work before viewing the finished sculptures. The festival also lets members of the public vote for a People’s Choice winner. The festival has posted biographies of the participating sculptors.
How Professional Sand Sculptures Are Made
The towering creations require more than grabbing a bucket of wet beach sand.
The Revere Beach Partnership brings sand to the festival from a quarry in New Hampshire. Quarry sand typically has sharper and more uneven grains than sand that waves have repeatedly worn down. Those grains can lock together more tightly and support greater detail.
Artists mix the sand with water and pack it into large wooden forms. They add more sand, water, and forms until they reach the height needed for the sculpture.
The sculptors then remove the top form and begin carving. They work from the top down, so falling sand does not damage finished sections below.
Artists may use shovels and larger tools to create the sculpture’s basic shape. They switch to small trowels, knives, brushes, and other hand tools when carving faces, letters, clothing, hair, and other fine details.
Water helps the sand grains hold together. Heavy compaction removes loose pockets and creates a solid block that an artist can carve. However, the finished sculptures remain temporary and vulnerable to heavy rain, wind, and human contact.
After the festival, workers demolish the sculptures and spread the imported sand along the beach, according to the Revere Beach Partnership.
Last Year’s Winner Swept The Major Awards
Canadian sculptor Abe Waterman dominated the 2025 festival with his work “Delicate Balance.”
Waterman won first place, the Sculptor’s Choice Award, and the People’s Choice Award. That meant the judges, his fellow artists, and festival visitors all selected his sculpture for recognition.
Slavian Borecki of Poland finished second with “Deep Sleep.” Hanneke Supply of Canada placed third with “I See You (Can You See Yourself?).”
Other 2025 sculptures explored subjects that included artificial intelligence, dreams, personal freedom, and inner conflict. The festival’s official results page includes the complete list.
Borecki and Supply are among the returning artists competing in Revere this year.
The Festival Started More Than Two Decades Ago
The International Sand Sculpting Festival began in 2004.
The Revere Beach Partnership was formed three years earlier as part of an effort to improve the beach and bring visitors back to the area. Revere Beach had once served as one of New England’s leading summer destinations, but it suffered years of decline during the second half of the 20th century.
The sand sculpting festival became one part of the beach’s comeback. It now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and provides customers for nearby restaurants, hotels, and stores. The 2020 festival did not take place, making the 2026 event the 22nd edition since its launch.
The location adds another layer of history. Revere Beach officially opened for public recreation in 1896. About 45,000 people attended the opening celebration, according to the National Park Service.
The federal government later named Revere Beach Reservation a National Historic Landmark. It was the first ocean beach in the country acquired specifically for public recreation.
Kelly’s Roast Beef Adds Another Revere Beach Tradition
Festival visitors looking for a local meal can also stop at Kelly’s Roast Beef on Revere Beach Boulevard.
Kelly’s marks its 75th anniversary this year. Frank McCarthy and Raymond Carey opened the business as a small hot dog stand on Revere Beach in 1951. They named it after their friend Thomas Kelly.
According to the restaurant’s history, McCarthy and Carey also worked at a nearby banquet hall. A canceled wedding left the hall with extra roast beef, so the two men sliced the meat, grilled rolls, and sold roast beef sandwiches from their stand.
They expected the supply to last throughout the day. It sold out within an hour.
The sandwich eventually became a North Shore staple. Kelly’s later became known for its roast beef three-way, which adds American cheese, mayonnaise, and barbecue sauce. The restaurant also serves fried seafood, lobster rolls, and other beach food. Kelly’s recounts the story on its web site.
Taking The MBTA May Be The Easiest Option
Festival organizers expect heavy traffic and limited parking near Revere Beach.
They recommend taking the MBTA Blue Line to either Revere Beach station or Wonderland station. Both stops sit within walking distance of the festival.
Drivers can try the parking garage at Wonderland Station, but the festival does not guarantee that spaces will remain available.
With enormous sculptures, beach views, food, rides, and Saturday night fireworks, the Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival combines several summer attractions in one free weekend. And like the sculptures themselves, the full experience will only remain for a limited time.
