Clearwater Beach to host solar eclipse watch party with Sugar Sand Festival
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Clearwater Beach is offering a two-for-one spectacle on Monday — an unobstructed view of the solar eclipse in the afternoon, plus the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival.
“You’ve got rides, you’ve got activities, you’ve got sand sculptures to see,” said Visit St. Pete/Clearwater President and CEO Brian Lowack. “And you’re out on the beach. But you’re also gonna get a chance to take part of this cool event that only happens every so many years. The next one’s not going to be until 2045, so you better catch it on Monday down on Pier 60 with Visit St. Pete/Clearwater.”
The first 2,500 people to show up at the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater booth will get a special prize.
“These are cool commemorative Visit St. Pete/Clearwater solar eclipse glasses,” Lowack said, showing off the glasses. “You’ll be able to come out, get a pair for yourself, your friends, put them on, and you can experience, get the full experience of that solar eclipse on Monday while you’re down at the beach.”
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At the festival, there will be an artist finishing up a commemorative solar eclipse sand sculpture that he started yesterday.
“Dan Belcher, one of our original sculptors from year one,” explained Sugar Sand Festival founder Lisa Chandler. “[He] will be here sculpting live so the visitors can see the sand being brought to life.”
You can also check out all the other sand sculptures at the festival. There’s 1,000 tons of sand under a 21,000-square-foot tent at Pier 60.
MOSI’s solar eclipse watch party features an array of solar activities
“The theme is Sands of Time,” Chandler said. “It’s a retrospective look, a walk down memory lane.”
Parking is limited, so arrive early, as the eclipse starts around 1:45 p.m. and lasts for about two hours. If you can’t make it to the festival, it will be around until April 14.
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