US Open Sandcastle Competition

Hated the B street pier, what a terrible venue for the competition. The sand sculptures were nothing like what happens at IB. Mostly vendors and food trucks. Won’t be going again.

Costs $ 9 to enter.
There are various vendors (saw lots of jewelry) and food trucks. Sand castles are spread throughout the area… inbetween vendors and in the back. It’s pretty cool, but not as great as I thought.

Much better location at Pier B, downtown San Diego. Easy to get a good view of over a dozen professional sand sculptures.

This is the nation’s largest sandcastle competition, and in recent years has gone down hill. The biggest problem? The street fair. Large amounts of punk, rude thug kids, 15 – 20, many of whom look like they are out of a police lineup, all crammed into two city blocks so tight you can barely move. This street fair doesn’t even feel safe for small children.
2011’s competition was very unorganized and event organizers tell us it was due to a lack of money (overly expensive costs for policing) and lack of volunteers.
Knowing this, what do the organizers of this event do? Try to fix it? Of course not. They give up. Within two months of the event, we are told this event has been canceled indefinitely. see link:

My advice: Get rid of the thug punk kid street fair, charge a fee for the event of a 1.00 for the sandcastles and use that money to cover operational expenses. Also go on TV, local news, promote the event and ask for help, ask for volunteers. You have not.
To the mayor and members of the sandcastle competition committee, you allowed a world renown event that defined a large part of our town to fail. You should all be ashamed and know that you are a large part of why this 31year tradition ended.
To all that said the sandcastles are not impressive, do the pictures at the top of this page lie? The sandcastle’s are impressive. Word of advice, Saturdays are the Kids’ Competition. Yes the Kid’s castle’s blow. Horrid. Go to the event on a Sunday.
As for the people that complain and complain about parking, don’t be so cheap. Park at Mar Vista High School and pay the small fee. Then you don’t have «hike for miles» as you say to the beach.
UPDATE: (3÷16÷12) I am being told that the mayor Jim Janney is meeting with committee members at IB’s PR firm (
) to discuss some of the ideas outlined above in an effort to save the competition.

I was the opposite of impressed at the Sandcastles in this event this year.
When you hear that people travel here from all over the globe to create some monsters out of sand, sounds impressive, right? WRONG!
I haven’t been to this event in a minute and after this weekend, I have lost all desire to attend future competitions. It was overly crowded, so much so that it was frustrating. We had to park over a mile away and hike to the beach. There was so many people there that it was like we were shuffling in line to get from one side of the beach to the other.
Worst part, the sandcastles this year weren’t even impressive. We went on Sunday, and thought that we were in for some awesome sand monsters. There was only a couple that didn’t look like they were made by kindergardeners.
Next year when this competition rolls around, I plan to stay as far away from IB as possible.

This event was a little more organized than in years past. Getting in was easy (I got there early around 7am and had breakfast.) Getting out of the place… well, that’s an adventure you have to try and figure out for yourselves.
There were lots of LIVE BANDS playing music to entertain you and quite a few FREEBIES (and who doesn’t like freebies.)
A little word to the spectator that is watching the competition…“Show a little courtesy for the builders running back and forth, getting buckets of water from the ocean… those things are heavy and cutting them off while they are carrying it might get someone seriously injured.” I bring this up because I’ve seen a couple of people get in the way of these workers.
If there is a drawback, it’s the consistency of the RULES I’ve seen about this event. Years ago, I was told that I couldn’t bring my bike, which I was okay with. But they also told my that I couldn’t lock it up nearby. Today, there are signs that state «NO BIKES», yet I’ve seen quite a few bikes and they’ve locked them up nearby. If that’s the case, I would find it easier to ride down to IB and just lock up my bike… So what is it (The Rules?)
Overall, nice Sandcastles, friendly people and lots of food.

Sandcastles just isn’t the same without the fireworks and parade. If I didn’t grow up here I wouldn’t bother going anymore. It makes a little thunder cloud rain in my heart.

I went to this event, after a lifetime (26 years) of being a San Diegan, for the very first time this year (2010.)
Whoops.
I won’t be making that mistake again. I checked Unilocal but disregarded the low rating. It’s the biggest in the world, after all, it must be amazing, I thought.
Whoa. Wrong.
First, their official website advises you to take public transportation because parking is so difficult. Well, they were right that the parking situation is impossible. Unfortunately, so is the public transit situation.
I came from Clairemont Mesa, and it’s normally an hour via public transit (two buses and a trolley ride, half that in a car). This was magnified extremely by the fact that a lot of other people took the organizer’s advice and used it, too.
Hot. Smelly. Sweaty. Dirty. Cramped. All these pleasant adjectives and more could be used to describe the I.B. bus rides to and from the event. The lines were miles long, the buses were running (extremely) late because of the crowds and the traffic, and they were skipping stops due to overfilling. Oh, and the incredibly filthy homeless man who took a shine to my friend and kept trying to talk to her and touch her really put the icing on the cake.
Another problem was that the weather report was dead wrong. The Weather Channel said the beach would be cool and cloudy all day. They were wrong. It was hotter than blue blazes and we were left carrying jackets because, due to the brilliant advice of the organizers, we didn’t have a car to leave them in.
I’d rather search for a parking space for an hour in a nice, private, clean, air-​conditioned car than wait in the baking sun at a bus stop for that long or longer.
Once we finally got there, the conditions were just impossible. The set-​up is less than ideal. It was not set up to create flow through the crowds. There were areas where people were packed in like sardines. At the street fair, near the food vendors, you could barely move through the crowds because of everyone standing in line.
I go to a lot of street fairs, including the epic Adam’s Avenue Street Fair annually, and they’re always crowded, but the level of discomfort which was achieved here was unbearable.
Worse still was the beach (which is hard to walk on, especially with so many people). All the good sand sculptures had crowds around them a mile deep. You have to push your way to the front to even see them at all.
And, unfortunately, there were very few worth such effort. Maybe six. Those few were really magnificent. It’s mind-​boggling what professionals can do with sand.
It was in no way worth it to see them live. The heat. The crowds. The traffic. The transit. And last but not least… the cost. A free event, once you add up the inevitable food, drinks, and transportation, could really end up putting a dent in your wallet.
The journey back was just as bad and then some. We got lucky and left at a time we thought was early (hours before the end of the event) and, to our astonishment, ended up on the very last Sunday bus to get us back to our cars. The event ended two hours before our last bus… it took more than four to get home!
You read right, people. More than four hours to travel between Clairemont and I.B.
If you go, prepare to be disappointed. There’s only a few magnificent castles, the street fair straight-​up sucks, it’s hot, and whether by car, bus, or foot, travel is ridiculously difficult. I really felt bad for older people and families with young children.
You’re much better off looking at the professional photos of the castles online the day after the event.

Great to see some of the sandcastles and other sand arts. However, there were lot of people. I mean lot of people!!! And very hard to find parking. Otherwise, I’ll enjoy more and come back next year.

We just got back and it was really cool!
I love to see all of the amazing sculptures and their fantastic craftsmenship! Totally a fun family event and there is also a street fair that goes on right before the beach which is crazy nice!
We saw actual dolphins swimming in the water as we walked along, checking out the castles. Imperial beach is a really nice place and the weather today was nice and cool but still sunny. Perfect!
The reason why I take away one star is the crowds. This event gets SO crowded because everyone wants to check out the goings on. Be prepared to fight for a spot to look if you want to take any pictures too. As you travel down the beach, the castles are broken up into skill level and so as you get towards the nicer ones, it gets batshit crazy.
Leaving is a pain also. We live near North Park kinda and it took us TWO HOURS just to get home because of the traffic!
In conclusion, totally worth the experience, but I would suggest coming early enough or leaving late enough that you avoid the traffic. The crowds are just par for the course, but they still suck.
Awesome fun for all though!

Well, it would not be summer in Imperial Beach without the Sandcastle Contest! The largest event of its kind in the world, this US/​Imperial Beach Sandcastle Competition kicks off this past weekend with a dance and continues with live music, food, vendor exhibits, and culminating with the actual sandcastle competition on Sunday-​when the official US Open Sandcastle Competition will be held. This is where the professional sand carvers vie for the title of Master’s Champion, and walk away with a hefty prize check for their troubles.
This is how big a deal this Sandcastle business is-​professional and amateur sand carving teams throughout the U.S. compete in the sandcastle building competition with more than $ 21,000 in cash prizes. The weekend festivities culminate with the judges decision and the Sandcastle winners are presented with their titles and cash prizes. It is a very exciting time at the beach.
The Sandcastle competition first began in 1980 after a group of Imperial Beach residents were inspired by a similar event held in British Columbia. The first U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition 30 years ago attracted about 30,000 attendees. This year is expected to see about 300,000 people crowd this charming little beach town.
When I used to live in Imperial Beach, I was in the thick of all the action. The annual Sandcastle Parade went right down the street by my front door. It was awesome to be able to sit on your front steps and watch crazy KUSI’s John Coleman sitting in a mustang and waving right at you.
The fireworks show every year at the beach was always exciting for the kids. Even though the beaches were well beyond crowded and parking was at a premium, it was always a fun time.
That has not changed over the years. It is still wild and wooly trying to park anywhere near the beach during this hectic weekend. I think budgetary restraints have put a stop to the parade and fireworks show. However, the beach is still action-​packed with extraordinary creations.
It is always fun to go and see the creativity of these Sandcastle teams-​I love walking up-​and-​down the beach and gawking at how wonderfully detailed the artistic sand sculptures can get. Unfortunately the next high tide makes short shrift of all that awesome sand work. Yes-​expect crowds and jostling. It can be tiresome fighting your way down Imperial Beach
the beach shuttle stop at Mar Vista High.
But what’s summer without a little sand-​castling action? Imperial Beach gets a bad name often enough for ocean pollution that is Tijuana’s fault and all the small-​town political hi-​jinks that occur.
For one brief summer weekend, Imperial Beach gets to shine in the sun… and the sand. 1 Unilocal STAR off for miserable traffic in-​and-​out of the event.

Utterly disappointing. We had to fight tons of traffic and people to get there, which would have been ok if even ONE of the sandcastles was worth crawling for an hour and walking a mile to get to. I hopped out of the car like a kid about to go to the candy store… so excited… only to have my hopes dashed by blobs of sand so nondescript that I couldn’t even guess what I was seeing despite angling my head various ways for different perspectives. Ok, a few I could actually identify but again so not worth the drive (if you can call 5 mph that) and walk.
Even the food vendor area was unappealing. The lines were so long that it really deterred me from buying anything but a lemonade and that was only because I was dying of thirst from my trek to the beach. Many people were grimy from playing at the beach all day, forgetting to apply deodorant, or God knows what else. Pushing and shoving our way back to the car was no small feat, and getting out of Imperial Beach was nothing short of a miracle. It took us literally an hour and 50 minutes to go from Imperial Beach to Coronado. By then my lemonade was pushing to make a nature’s call and I had to just suffer through the torturously slow crawl to Coronado.
No offense, sand guys, I know some of you worked hard but maybe I was just expecting too much. This event sounds like a great idea but execution sucked. I suggest that you come with ultra low expectations and maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Or, better yet, don’t come at all. Just watch the highlights on tv if you really feel like it.

Before the fireworks and parade were taken down, I use to enjoy and look forward to the Sandcastle Competition. In my opinion, not only did the Sandcastle stole the show, but the fireworks as well, especially if you do not see Fourth of July fireworks.
The food is eh. Personally, it seems like they are trying to copy the Del Mar Fair. Fair food is waaay better than this mediocre stuff they are trying to pull. However, I must admit; I do like their kettle corn only because I am a fan of kettle corn.
Tip:
— The weather in Sandcastle Competition is always hot and sunny with a light breeze. Come prepared. Stay hydrated and bring sunscreen.

— Parking is ridiculous and can be a walk for some people. At Mar Vista High School, they provide parking with a price.

PPPPP: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
The problem wasn’t that there were too many people, the layout was just pathetic. Poorly organized event. Vendors were side by side on both sides of the street (Seacoast). They could have created gaps or to extend the vendors on all of Seacoast, not just a portion of it.
A sign of how poorly this was organized was that the event couldn’t even capture a title sponsor. The organizer’s excuse would most likely be, «The recession prevented us from having a title sponsor.» NOPE, that’s just an excuse. The organizers just had way too high demands and didn’t know the market or negotiating skills.
A majority of the sandcastles were very disappointing. If I could muster up enough people, I would definitely enter the competition. Some of the sandcastles we saw weren’t even recognizable — we had to look at the drawing. That wasn’t because of the tide or anything but because the sandcastles were really crappy.
Great concept, poor organization.

This is the first time that Unilocal has lied to me about what kind of experience to expect when I venture out of the house. I’m feeling a bit betrayed at the moment.
I’m from a town of 2,500 people and we have a better sand castle competition than this one– how lame is that? We also have less to work with in terms of space and time; here you’re given a huge plot of land and about 5hr to create your masterpiece. I mean, Homer’s face actually fell off in the Simpson’s Summer Vacation sand sculpture, which had to be one of the best in the bunch. I’m tempted to say that it’s a bit more realistic, though, as the theme involved playing with bears over a summer vacation…
However, you could barely see the castles! If you’re short, forget about it. It will take you two hours to see 5 castles.
Also, parking’s a nightmare. We ended up coughing up $ 5 to park on the high school’s field with about 600 others. That high school should be able to throw one hell of a prom after that fundraiser. Heck, they can even afford an open bar!
I’m still giving this competition 2 stars as I did hear a live band playing that was quite decent, there’s plenty of food (even if it is a bit carnival-​y), and next year I’m going to enter and easily win this thing ;)

OMG. It was way to crowded!!!
I was also disappointed, I thought that the sand castles were going to be more elaberate… upsetting. :(

GOOD: Lots of vendors = lots of food to choose from! I just got back from Hawaii and I have been dreaming about kalua pig and shave ice, so it was nice to see several vendors offering these. There was also lots of sausage (¼ Polish sausage? jeez), lemonade, Thai BBQ, falafel, etc. Prices seemed to range from $ 3 – 10, with most foods around $ 7.
BAD: IT WAS SO DAMN HOT. MILK WAS A BAD CHOICE. Okay, I realize this is not the US Open’s fault — it’s San Diego’s fault.
GOOD: We saw about 10 sand castles, and it wasn’t too difficult to walk the distance to see them all. Some were pretty neat (see my pictures).
BAD: Many of the sand castles were «meh». I walked through burning hot sand for THAT?
And the worst part was PARKING OMG. People were selling parking space on their driveways for $ 20. Many lots — including a church parking lot — were going for $ 6 – 10. Took us half an hour, but my boyfriend finally managed to find a free spot on the street by stalking some pedestrians ;)

Yeah, I knew it would be crowded. And ghetto. But. .. my bad for thinking a freakin’ national sandcastle competition would have more talented artwork!!!
If looking 30 minutes for a parking spot to go to a super-​crowded beach in a really seedy area to see a bunch of amateurish sand sculptures is your thing, then I say go for it.

Best thing IB has to offer. Last year was the first year I missed since I was like 5. My uncle had a big part in organizing it and starting it so I had a back stage view, so to speak, of the things that went on. It was amazing. Booths, food, drink, people, all of it just add to the amazing. The last couple of years its been going down hill. Budget cuts and what-​not. I hope this tradition doesn’t die out. I think it would be great if they can expand it to a huge festival, live bands? like real bands, not just local.

This was so much fun! This event attracts people of all ages; supposedly there were about 20,000 people in attendance this past weekend. There is an amateur competition and a masters competition — both were equally impressive! Several vendors set up shop along the entrance/​exits of the beach selling snacks and memorabilia. I only dropped by for about an hour or so but it begins around 8am and ends at 5pm. Worth spending the day there. It was memorizing watching the sculptors at work.