Sun, Sea and Sand Sculptures!

The Belgian Coast beaches are so huge they have space for a whole host of fun things to see and do including playgrounds, watersports, stripy retro beach huts and, every summer, the world famous sand sculpting festival!

Belgium is famous for many things and the sand sculpting festival which takes place on the main beach in Ostend is a must-see. It is officially the largest sand sculpting festival in the world! Artists flock from far and wide to set up shop on the beach where you can watch them creating their masterpieces! The whole area is a circuit of about 1km and they put down special pathways for wheelchairs users and buggies to make getting around it easier. Something like 7 tonnes of sand is deposited there each year and by the end of June has been masterfully crafted into sculptures, some of which reach 12 metres in height and each year has a different theme.  The last few years have seen celebrity sand sculptures such as Elton John, Prince and Queen. Disney characters  and scenes from the likes of Frozen, 101 Dalmations, Pirates of the Caribbean, Moana, Snow White and more.

Ostend

Ostend is the largest resort on the Belgian Coast and is often referred to as the “City by the Sea”. It is an extremely well connected beach resort with its own airport and train station. It is also well served by the coastal tram. It has over 7km of wide, sandy beaches, a famous casino and a large port where you can watch the ships come in! The seafront promenade is clean and full of places to eat, drink and play. Ostend is also well known for its superb seafood and its shrimp croquettes are some of the best we’ve tasted!

Walking distance from the centre is the Maria Hendrika Park which has 2 play grounds, a duck pond and plenty of space for little ones to let off steam, as well as snack bars and picnic areas.

Where to stay

Stay at one of the family friendly Holiday Suites apartments in Westende, 10-15 minutes walk to the beach and the resort centre, and just down the road from the coastal tram stop. Westende is a 40 minute tram ride from Ostende and just a 25 minute tram ride from Plopsaland theme park.

How to get there

Holidaysuites Westende is just under an hour from Calais.

(Edit- since publishing this post the sand sculpting festival has moved around the different resorts so isn’t always in Ostend)