Last chance to visit Sandsation in Berlin this August bank holiday

Sandsation is a sand sculpture festival that invites sand artists from all over the world to take part. Artists from the USA, Canada, India and many other countries bring their carving skills to the Sandsation stage. This year's festival began on 6 June and it will draw to a close this August bank holiday weekend on Sunday.

Only water, sand and sculpting tools are used to create the sandy works of art. Some of the contestants are highly skilled, and Sudarsan Pattnaik, from India, even studied the art form at Golden Sand Academy in Puri. He studied sand sculpting for two years.

Sandsation is at the O2 World in Berlin and admission to the exhibition costs just €6. Opening hours are 10am to 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday and 10am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Close to the heart of Berlin, O2 World is right near a train station for convenient access. For a more scenic approach, there are boats that stop along the river next to the O2 World.

Visitors get a really close look at the sculptures, and any budding sand artists out there will have the chance to take part in a sand sculpting taster session.

Around 2,200 tonnes of sand has been used to construct some truly amazing works of art at this year's Sandsation, and at the end of the festival, local people are allowed to take the sand away for free to recycle it.

With its close proximity to the centre, a trip to Sandsation could be combined with a sightseeing tour of Berlin this August bank holiday weekend. Berlin is packed with museums and galleries and insights into its chaotic history ? visit the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.

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