Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach is nationally known for its unique sand, extreme beauty, and family ambiance. The Sugar Sand Festival Dining Experience left my friend and I with unforgettable memories and an experience we will never forget. We were so excited when Visit St. Pete/ Clearwater invited us to join in on the fun.
As we walked into the event, we were greeted by cheerful staff and a very friendly table that sat about four feet in the sand along the water! The sun was just low enough to kiss the water leaving us with unimaginable views.
Our dinner started with a strawberry soup paired with a prosecco toast followed by a blood orange shrimp ceviche. The third course was a simple, yet tasty spinach salad with spiced pecans, mandarin oranges, and poppy seed dressing.
There was live music throughout the dinner which kept us entertained. The red snapper served over baby bok choy and seven grain rice was amazing and our meal was finished off by a chocolate mousse.
Once we finished our meal, came the really cool stuff: the master sculpting sand art exhibit! According to the Sugar Sand website, the 10-day festival is to celebrate Tampa Bay’s iconic sand and sunsets. Sand artists from around the world come together at this festival to produce artwork that keeps guests in awe. The exhibit was created using 1,000 tons of sand and includes over 50 pieces of artwork that include iconic scenes and images; The Beatles in a Yellow Submarine, Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, scenes from fairy tales, and optical illusions kept us mesmerized.
Tickets for the exhibit are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, military, police, fire fighters, teachers and students, and free for children with the purchase of an adult ticket. The 10-day festival also showcases live movies at the pier, offers sand sculpting classes, highlights local craft beer and wines, fire work displays and much more! Sugar Sand Sculpting Clinics with Team Sandtastic allow visitors a chance to create their own sand masterpieces. Workshops are being held beach-side and carving tools will be supplied. Classes this weekend happen on Saturday April 23 and Sunday April 24 at 1pm & 3:30pm each day.
To avoid beach traffic, organizers suggest taking the ferry service. We would definitely recommend it since we hate having to sit in bumper to bumper traffic to get there.
Following an amazing firework display over the water, our night concluded with a live performance from the Black Honkeys, which had everyone on their feet! It is safe to say that the fourth annual festival was a success and we can’t wait to explore all areas of the festival next year! #LiveAmplified
– Clay
Disclosure: I received this complimentary experience through a Visit St.Pete/ Clearwater partnership in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
NHIE Guys 