Sugar Sand Festival - Charissa Shatanoff

Clearwater Beach hosts the annual Sugar Sand Festival beginning Friday (March 27th) and running through Sunday, April 12th at Pier 60. Eighteen artists from around the world will create sand sculptures in a 24,000 square foot enclosures. We speak with the Festival's Chief Operating Officer, Charissa Shatanoff, about this year's event. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here Beyond the News. The Peer sixty Sugar
Sand Festival is back on Clearwater Beach this spring. It
starts on March twenty seventh and runs through April twelfth.
That's a big window in time. Carrissa shutting Off is
the chief operating officer of the Sugar Sand Festival and
she's here to talk about it. Carrissa, welcome to Beyond

(00:22):
the News.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Good morning, Thank you for having me. We have so
much information to share, so I'm excited.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
Well, now, this event draws numbers and the six figures
every year to Clearwater Beach, but for anyone who might
not have been it sort of I guess if you
could explain it, it sort of takes the concept of
sand castles to the nth power with some top artists.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
That is very true. So last year the event had
over one hundred and eighteen thousand visitors. So we draw
visitors near and far, and it's just so exciting because,
like you said, we take sand sculptures to the max.
And this year we're bringing an eighteen artists from around
the world. They're going to scarp a sculpt a twenty
four thousand square foot exhibit full of sand sculptures, and

(01:06):
also inside that exhibit we have a section where we're
bringing augmented reality and projection mapping onto the sand to
really celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth year anniversary of
the declaration. So it adds a whole nother ambiance to
the festival.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
And this is all taking place in an enclosed space
so that they can continue to exhibit what's the overall
of course, two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the nation
is one big theme, But what's the overall theme of
the festival this year?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, this year's theme is United in Sands celebrating Sports
and Spirit. So the main portion of the exhibit will
all be sports related and then we'll have that augmented
reality portion for the dedication to the two hundred and
fiftieth year anniversary of the Declaration, So we're tying it
all in. The only thing that is like housed under
an exhibit piece is the sand sculptures. So outside of

(01:59):
the exhibit we have free beach concerts, fireworks, food vendors, artisans, crafters,
there's so many other activities that happen outside of the
sand sculpture exhibit that people love to come to Clearwater
Beach and experience.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
And one of those activities is that your organization is
also offering people the chance to take lessons in sand sculpting.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
That is very true. So throughout the festival we have
free sand sculpting lessons. You take them with one of
our professional sculptors right here at the exhibit. It's really neat,
especially for children to experience that, or even when we
have group tours come in, they get that lesson and
is way different than what you think sand sculpting is.

(02:40):
So it's a great experience for everyone.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Now, this is a paid admission event. What's the schedule
and what are the discount days?

Speaker 2 (02:47):
This year, the only portion that needs a ticket is
the sand sculpture exhibit and those tickets are sixteen dollars
per person plus tax. We do have discount days. We
have Frontline Fridays and tickets are ten dollars per person.
We also have Timeless Tuesdays for our senior citizens and
those tickets are twelve dollars per person. But outside of

(03:11):
the exhibit, the concerts are free. You can come and
enjoy all the other activities that are within the festival
for free. It's just in the exhibit. You need a
ticket because all of those proceeds obviously help produce the festival,
but also go right back into the community and the
sculptors who spend a month here on Clearwater Beach.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
Where can people go online and on social media to
find more information about the festival?

Speaker 2 (03:33):
Definitely check out the website www dot Sugar Sandfestival dot com.
It has all the information from the concerts, ticket information,
the different events and activities that are happening day by
day because we are seventeen full days of festivities. And
then also make sure you follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok.
We share tons of information and what's happening day by

(03:56):
day during the event to really make sure that everybody knows.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
What going on the Peer sixty Sugar Sand Festival on
Clearwater Beach March twenty seventh through April twelfth. Carissa shutten Off,
Chief Operating Officer of the Sugar Sand Festival, thank you
very much for joining us on Beyond the News.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Thank you for having me