A total of 21 sand sculpture artists from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, Latvia, Portugal and Russia are displaying their works at the 10th Festival of Sand Figures – Sand Tales, 2017 - which opened in Ezero (Lake) park in Bourgas.

This year’s festival is a retrospection of a kind, as it presents the best of previous festival editions. Every sculpture corresponds, thematically, to a previous edition, though each has a new vision, a new story to tell, a fresh emotion to convey.

5,600 tons of sand went into the making of 50 figures of book and film characters, combined in a total of more than 20 compositions. Special lighting lends the “sand city” a charm all its own.

Annie Zlateva’s figure of Einstein, based on the scientist’s most famous photograph - with his tongue out - welcomes visitors at the entrance to the “sand city”.

“This is street art,” Annie Zlateva says, “but it should cultivate a sense of the aesthetic, and it should be professionally done.”

For its jubilee edition, the festival earned an international award. Dimitar Madjarov, director of the “Open-air theatre, festivals and concerts” municipally-owned undertaking says:

“This year the festival earned an award by the European Festivals Association (EFA) – the European Label for Festivals, 2017-2018, alongside the jazz festival in the city of Bourgas. Two festivals which received the highest distinction of the EFA and are now on the list of 715 festivals in Europe which have been nominated and have won this award. So, we have every reason to be proud. The Sand Festival is one of a kind, as it is not competitive. As a matter of fact, the sculptors work as a team, helping one another, creating their unique figures together, figures that have no equivalent anywhere, literally, in the entire Balkan Peninsula.”

The “Sand Tales” sculptures are open to the public until the end of September.

Elena Dimitrova, Radio Bourgas

English version: Milena Daynova