Ocean Beach was showing off on Saturday with the clearest blue skies I’ve seen in a while and excellent visibility of the Cliff House and Seal Rocks.

Leap Arts in Education, in collaboration with Youth Art Exchange (YAX), hosted its 44th annual Sandcastle Classic. The event drew a large crowd of families, students, volunteers, and onlookers to enjoy the day. A DJ was spinning, and the vibe was fun and energetic.

Every year brings a competition theme, and this year’s was “Bay Area Vibes.” Teams consisted of architects, designers, contractors, engineers, and local elementary school students. The event’s primary goal was to raise money to fund essential art programs in public schools. It raises 30% of the costs required for Leap to deliver arts programs locally.

Sculptures included an array of marine life and a few Golden Gate Bridges. My personal favorite was a sculpture of the famous, portly Steller sea lion, Chonkers, who visited Pier 39 in the spring of 2026. There was also a great sculpture of the dearly departed Claude from the California Academy of Sciences.

Here are some personal favorites from the day: