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Sand Sculpting Festival Draws Crowds To Revere Beach

Jonathan Bouchard of Canada, who has placed first in this contest three out of the last four years, works on his sculpture. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Jonathan Bouchard of Canada, who has placed first in this contest three out of the last four years, works on his sculpture. (Hadley Green for WBUR).

Sculptors and spectators are flocking to Revere Beach this weekend for the 12th annual Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival, which runs from Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26.

The main event is the Master Sand Sculptor Competition, in which 20 or more artists from around the world are invited to compete in creating large-as-life sand sculptures.

The boardwalk along the beach is lined with food trucks selling fried dough, cotton candy and hot dogs. Each day features live music on the beach and Saturday night's fireworks are scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.

This year's theme is "The Spirit of Massachusetts," meaning that the centerpiece sculpture will display iconic landmarks of the state, the Revere Journal reported.

In addition to the traditional solo competition, this year will introduce a doubles division, allowing teams of two to work together on a sculpture, according to the Journal.

In 2014, more than 600,000 people attended the festival, according to the Revere Beach website.

Check out photos from the beginning of the festival on Friday:

Jonathan Bouchard of Canada, who has placed first in this contest three out of the last four years, works on his sculpture. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Jonathan Bouchard of Canada, who has placed first in this contest three out of the last four years, works on his sculpture Friday. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Spectators take photographs of the sculptures at Revere Beach. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Guy Olivier Deveau from Montreal, Canada works on his sculpture. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Guy Olivier Deveau from Montreal works on his sculpture. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Spectators at the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Spectators at the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Dave from Chelsea sports a taxidermic turtle on his head. Dave takes dead animals he finds on the road and has turned them into a collection of taxidermic hats. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Dave from Chelsea sports a taxidermic turtle on his head. Dave takes dead animals he finds on the road and has turned them into a collection of taxidermic hats. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Sand sculptors Hanneke Supply from Holland and Susanne Ruesler from the Netherlands work on their creation. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Sand sculptors Hanneke Supply from Holland and Susanne Ruesler from the Netherlands work on their creation. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Max Sergi from Watertown observes the sand sculptures being made. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Max Sergi from Watertown observes the sand sculptures being made. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Spectators walk by sand castles at the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Spectators walk by sand castles at the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Spectators at the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Spectators at the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR)
Spectators walk by sand castles at the Revere Beach National Sand Sculpting Festival. (Hadley Green for WBUR).
Visitors walking by the centerpiece at the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival based on the theme "The Spirit of Massachusetts." (Hadley Green for WBUR)

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