Artists sculpt mesmerizing works of art in sand on California beach — including insane optical illusions

Artists turned a California beach into a mind-bending outdoor art gallery last weekend, carving massive designs and several amazing optical illusions in the sand.

The second annual Pismo Beach Sand Festival ran Nov. 7–9, transforming the shoreline on both sides of the pier and stretching to the cliffs below SeaCrest into a sprawling canvas.

The works of art were created by 11 artists with little more than a rake, sand and plenty of patience to create intricate masterpieces that would eventually disappear with the incoming tide.

Images shared online from this year’s festival included giant messages like “This is a good sign,” along with 3D images of various sundials, and one optical illusion that made the beach appear to have a basement.

The artists got to work shortly before noon, finishing their creations around the 4:30 p.m. low tide, officials said.

“From 3D illusions to mandalas along the bluffs, the shoreline turned into one giant gallery, and then the tide took it all back. That’s the magic of sand art,”  a message from Pismo Beach read.

Manu Manolo Froelich, who traveled from Ireland, was responsible for several complicated pieces created over the weekend, including the basement into the ocean and a five-tiered pyramid.

“With just a rake and the low-tide sand, he draws pyramids you’d swear you could climb and staircases that look like they drop straight into the beach,” a social media post read.

“From the ground it’s lines in the sand. From above, it’s a whole other world.”

In another post on social media, Pismo Beach thanked the artists for being part of this year’s event.

“Huge thanks to every artist who spent hours raking, sculpting and creating these masterpieces on our beach, and to everyone who came out to walk the designs, cheer on the artists and catch that sunset over the pier,” the post read.

The sand festival event coordinator Emma Rhoads said they pick this time of year to take advantage of the unusual higher and lower tides.

“The tide’s been a little fun to work with in this area, but that’s the beauty of sand art,” Rhoads told the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

“Every artist this year (who) showed up … today said, ‘Oops, got to adjust and adapt my plan,’ but it’s part of the art form.”

The sand festival was started by a local sand artist in the area who wanted to “see it happen.”

“Avery Kintner co-founded the Pismo Beach Sand Art Festival with the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau in 2025, and drew the global sand art community to our shoreline,” the city shared on its website.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters