Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, Leap Arts in Education will take over Ocean Beach to host the largest sandcastle contest in Northern California; featuring team competition, food trucks, and live music all day. The public is invited to join in the fun and experience the construction of dozens of jaw-dropping, supersized sand sculptures.

This will be the 43rd Annual Leap Sandcastle Classic. A San Francisco tradition, the event raises funds for high quality arts and architecture education for nearly 10,000 Bay Area public school students who would otherwise go without. Thousands flock to Ocean Beach for the contest to build giant sand sculptures with architecture, design, technology, engineering and construction companies in partnership with students from local schools.

The 2025 Sandcastle Classic theme is Level Up! and nods to video games old and new, whether at an arcade or on a console, computer or phone. Organizers encourage teams to “Level Up” their creations to hit a new high score. Costumes are also encouraged.

The Classic will feature celebrity judges, live entertainment, and Community Castles so everyone can join in the fun, cheer on teams, and get their hands dirty. The public is invited to bring a blanket, grab a bite from the food trucks on site, participate in the competition, and spend a day in the sun, all to support essential arts education.

The event is at Ocean Beach and Balboa, near the Cliff House, with plentiful, free public parking, and is staged rain or shine. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.

Hosted by KOIT radio personality Freska (http://www.koit.com/hosts/freska), there are live musical and dance performances scheduled and Bay Area third through fifth grade students will be joining professionals from 100+ companies representing the Architectural, Engineering, Design, Construction and Technology industries to build the sand castles.

Each year, Leap orchestrates the spectacular Sandcastle Classic as its major fundraising event. Funds raised from the Sandcastle Classic ensure that Leap can continue its important mission to keep the arts alive in Bay Area schools. Leap’s 2025 goal is to raise more than $300,000.

For more information, visit: www.leapsandcastleclassic.org.

Leap Arts in Education is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1979 in response to the severe cuts in California’s school budgets that effectively eliminated the arts from elementary education. Leap’s mission is to provide high quality arts education to Bay Area children by bringing visual and performing artists and architects into the classroom to help students build skills and achieve their full potential. This year, Leap served over 9,600 children in 33 Bay Area schools.

Organizers note that “Arts Education Matters” and shared these statistics:

Students with an arts education increase test scores across every subject.

Students with an arts education are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.

Students who receive a quality arts education have higher attendance and graduation rates.

Bay Area classroom teachers agree that an arts education is fundamental to student success, as 74 percent agree that students develop/apply critical thinking; 89 percent agree that students develop/apply communication skills; and 85 percent agree that students practice collaboration.