The wait for one of SF’s favorite events of the year is almost over: The 2025 Leap Sandcastle Classic is back at Ocean Beach this month!
The free event brings out thousands of people for the ultimate sandcastle contest on Saturday, October 25th, 2025.
2025 Leap Sandcastle Classic
You can watch teams build absolutely enormous sand sculptures while enjoying live music, performances, and local food trucks. The event is hosted by Leap Arts in Education as their main fundraising effort to support arts education in Bay Area schools.
This will be the event’s 43rd year, and the theme is “Level Up!” meaning that teams will be including video game elements into their sandcastle designs.
The Leap Sandcastle Classic raises a significant amount of necessary funding for Leap to provide arts education for 10,000 children at 30 Bay Area schools. Proceeds from the event will go towards 2025’s fundraising goal of $300,000.
Official teams are generally composed of architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and corporations with help from local elementary school students. Teams must register for the event well in advance and commit to a minimum fundraising goal of $4,500. Members of the public can also drop in at Ocean Beach on the day of the event and don’t need to officially enter.
Teams will vie for awards including “Best in Show,” “Best Team T-Shirt,” “People’s Choice Award,” “Tallest Structure,” “Best Teamwork,” and more.
Check-in begins at 8am on the morning of the event, and the official sandcastle competition begins at 11am with a live DJ onstage. Teams will build until 2:30pm at which point the competition’s judges will make their rounds, and the awards ceremony will happen from 3-3:30pm.
Save the date!
📅 Date: Oct. 25, 2025 from 11am-3:30pm
📍 Location: Ocean Beach and Balboa in front of the Cliff House
🌐 Website: Leap Sandcastle Classic