Twenty-five sand sculptors from across Europe are spending 10 days creating a fairy tale world on Belgium’s Middelkerke beach ahead of the annual festival which will open to the public on July 1.
“We bring around 5,000 tonnes of sand, which represents around 300 trucks. We bring the equipment, the cranes and the wooden boxes,” lists Peter Monbailleu, the festival organizer.
“The first week is devoted to laying out the sand on the beach. Then we start building stacks. We build the crates around the sand. We use real jackhammers to make the sand harder. Then, when the carvers arrive, they start at the top, removing the crates and going down. »