Sandland

Sandland is an annual sand-sculpture festival held since 2006 on a site of some 7,000 to 10,000 square metres beside Lara beach; the sculptures are built to last twelve months and the site stays open year-round, with longer hours from May to October. More than ten sculptors from eight to ten countries are brought in each spring and spend about three weeks building figures and scenes from compacted sand on a chosen theme, which changes year to year and has covered mythology, world civilisations, cinema and fairy tales. The pieces are large, some several metres high, and they are sprayed with a water-based fixative to hold through the season; rain damages them and repairs happen through the summer. At the end of the season the sand is simply pushed back and used again. There is no shade on the site, which is why the evening opening with floodlighting is the better visit, and there are cafés and a play area. It is a family attraction rather than an art destination, and an hour or so covers it.

What's there

• The sand sculptures - large figures built for the year's theme.
• The annual theme - a new subject each season.
• The floodlighting - the sculptures lit after dark.
• The build site - the open sand ground beside Lara.

When to go

May to October, when the site is open late; it stays open with shorter hours through the winter. Evenings, both for the lighting and to avoid the heat.

Things to know

There is no shade whatsoever - a daytime visit in summer is punishing. Sculptures weather and can be damaged by rain late in the season. It is a commercial family attraction, priced as one.

Nearby

Lara beach is alongside; the Land of Legends park is further east at Belek.

Key facts