Building sandcastles on the beach will never be the same again. This languid, absent-minded past time has turned into a visual feast, and a creative frenzy with the Nestle Drumstick Sand Sculptures Competition held recently.
It has become a new tradition of Holy Week. The already scenic beaches of Puerto Galera and Boracay suddenly came alive with towering, sprawling spectacles of sand. The beach became a forest of statues, animals, mascots, reproduction of classic masterpieces, sci-fi characters, fanciful creature, and even entire scenes in the sand bas-relief. There are sandcastles, of course but 10 feet square and done in full architectural grandeur. It’s indeed a fantasy overture in the sand.
This spectacle started in the Holy Week of 1999. As has happened over the past five years, the recent masterpieces raise the bar in overwhelming creative impact.
During this year’s tilt, top honors in the Children’s Sand Castle Category went to team Bulaklak, which won first prize for their original winning entry called "Sandcastle." Paradise team from Iloilo ranked first in the Sand Lantern Category for their entry, showing a man and a woman lovingly embracing each other. And finally, in the Sand Sculpture Category, the team Fight for Peace bagged the top plum for their highly imaginative entry showing a Greek god riding on a horse fighting or warding off a fire-spitting dragon.
A total of R250,000 in cash prizes were given away, and more than 200 contestants swarmed over the beaches of Boracay and Puerto Galera. The event indeed has become the added new attraction every season.
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