SF’s 42nd Annual Sandcastle Classic Contest (Ocean Beach)

Leap Sandcastle Classic

On Saturday, October 26, Leap Arts in Education will take over Ocean Beach to host the largest sandcastle contest in Northern California; featuring team competition, food trucks, and live music all day. The public is invited to join in the fun and experience the construction of dozens of jaw-dropping, supersized sand sculptures. 

The 42nd Annual Leap Sandcastle Classic, a San Francisco tradition, raises funds for high-quality arts and architecture education for 10,000 Bay Area public school students who would otherwise go without. Thousands flock to Ocean Beach to build giant sand sculptures with architecture, design, technology, engineering and construction companies in partnership with students from local schools. 

The 2024 Sandcastle Classic theme is Out of This World, and teams will be including UFOs, aliens, and otherworldly elements in their sandcastle design, t-shirt design, fundraising, and promotion. Halloween Costumes are encouraged! The Classic will feature celebrity judges, live entertainment, and Community Castles so everyone can join in the fun, cheer on teams, and get their hands dirty!

Our 2024 theme is “Out of this World!” Think creatures from lands far, far away, interplanetary solar systems, flying UFOs, and more! We encourage teams to think outside of the box (and outside of this planet) when coming up with their designs.

Bring a blanket, grab a bite from the food trucks on site, participate in the competition, and spend a FREE day in the sun, all to support essential arts education. 

Where: The event will be held at Ocean Beach and Balboa, near the Cliff House, with plentiful, free public parking, rain or shine.
When: Saturday, October 26, 2024, from 11AM – 3:30PM
Who: 

• Hosted by KOIT’s Freska (http://www.koit.com/hosts/freska)
• Live musical and dance performances
• DJ RJKool
• Bay Area 3rd – 5th grade students 
• Professionals from 100+ companies representing the Architectural, Engineering, Design, Construction and Technology industries www.leapsandcastleclassic.org 

2024 Event Schedule

General Day of Schedule
Wondering what beach day is going to look like? Here is the general beach day schedule for us at Ocean Beach at Balboa Street:

8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Teams arrive, Check-in and head to assigned beach site

10:00 AM – Teams may begin to prep their sites

10:00AM-10:30AM – Students arrive

11:00 AM – Sandcastle Building begins with live DJ onstage!

11:45 AM – Castle Introductions by student representatives from each team

1:30PM – Castle Introductions by student representatives from each team

2:30 PM – Sandcastle Building ends

3:00PM – Award Ceremony

3:30PM – Event Ends

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.