Sand sculpture fest welcomes visitors with Atlantis theme

ANTALYA

Turkey’s international sand sculpture festival is welcoming visitors for the 16th time in the Mediterranean province of Antalya.

The international sand sculpture festival, recognized as one of the biggest and oldest sand sculpture events in the world, has become more of a tradition in the country.

This annual festival, one of the most visited cultural and art events in the city, is taking place at Lara Beach, attracting many local and foreign visitors. The festival showcases hundreds of giant, dazzling sand sculptures prepared around different themes, such as “World Wonders and Mythology” and “Sea Legends,” every year.

This time around, the festival aims to fascinate people with the theme “The Lost City of Atlantis,” offering visitors a chance to look at mesmerizing sand sculptures.

Some of the sculptures which suffered damages due to winter conditions were repaired or rebuilt before placing them in the festival area before the festival’s launch.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opening hosted fewer artists this year.

More artists, however, are expected to join later and create their sand arts in the festival area throughout the year.

Festival director Cem Karaca told Demirören News Agency that their festival is one of the largest sand sculpture events in the world with the high number of sculptures it hosts, and the amount of sand used in these works.

He states that though many countries implemented travel measures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they are under the decision-making process to relax the restrictions as of July.

“The season has begun, and we expect a massive influx of visitors as of July 1,” Karaca said, adding that he hopes that this year’s Atlantis theme and examples of world wonders would leave a mark on visitors as a beautiful memory of the festival.

“With our new sculptures, we will take our visitors on a journey through the mysterious world of the city of Atlantis. We hope that these imaginative and fantastic sculptures will attract visitors of all ages,” Karaca said.

Noting that the teams worked on different themes to surprise people, Karaca explained that they also made a 15-meter-long humpback whale statue.

“I think visitors will be very interested in this statue,” he said.

A special LED lighting system has been installed to allow visitors to see the sculptures during the dark, while music suitable for the festival is constantly played to amuse them.

“We offer a visual feast with a special lighting system installed. These lights stay on from sunset till late at night. The sunset and night views also attract the attention of our visitors. They often immortalize these moments with photographs,” Karaca noted.

Visitors can also see a documentary featuring the different phases of the art of sculpture making.

In addition, children can attend workshops on building sandcastles.