Sandcastle Day

Few childhood memories are looked back upon more fondly than building sandcastles on the beach–the hot sun overhead, the cool water washing over your feet ever now and the fleeting beauty of the castles themselves that disappear the moment the tide comes in…there’s no doubt about it, childhood sandcastle memories are magic.

And be honest: when was the last time you actually built a sandcastle, either with your child, friends, or even all on your own? This Sandcastle Day it’s time to find a couple of hours to remember just how wonderful building sandcastles at the beach can be.

History of Sandcastle Day

Sandcastles have likely been around for thousands of years, a favorite past time of both children and adults alike, but it is only recently that people have begun to take them seriously as an art form.

From 1989 until 2009, a World Championship in Sand Sculpture was held in Harrison Hot Springs in Harrison, British Columbia, Canada, also known as “Harrisand”. Other countries hold their own versions of the world championships, but as you may have guessed, it is not possible to get all the people who want to take part in the same place at the same time due to the expense and logistics.

The world’s tallest sandcastle was built on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina during the 2007 Sun Fun Festival. The structure was almost 50 feet (15 m) high and took 10 days to construct, using 300 truckloads of sand.

Sandcastle Day was created to help us remember just how much enjoyment some sand, water, and sunshine can give us. It’s the little things, right?

How to celebrate Sandcastle Day

You don’t have to live in a picturesque oceanside village to enjoy this day, though admittedly, waves do make building sandcastles more challenging. A lake or a river will be great places to spend several hours of this day as well, provided there is enough sand to work within the area. If the day on which Sandcastle Day falls should turn out to be rainy or too cloudy, feel free to celebrate in the day before or after so you can enjoy it to the fullest.

Depending on what kind of sandcastle you want to build and how much time and work you’re willing to put into it, you could even take some tools along with you to make your job easier.

A basic bucket and shovel combo can greatly reduce the number of trips you’ll have to make to get all the sand you need in one place, and a simple pair of work gloves will prevent the skin on your hands from becoming irritated. There are also plenty of wood, metal and plastic forms available that will help you shape things to looks as nice as you want them too.

And a sandcastle doesn’t have to be the only thing you enjoy on this day, either–a picnic lunch or a barbecue will likely be just what you need after a couple of hours of intense construction work, and nothing tastes better than a meal eaten out in the fresh air! So what are you waiting for? Pack a lunch, grab a shovel and get down to the beach to enjoy a day of sun, fun, and nostalgia.