Festival of sand sculptures — Curiosities, South Coast

Unknown

Plan your visit

It is in Park Ezero by the riding base, not in the Sea Garden, and several guides get that wrong.

Time needed: 45 min–1.5 h
Admission: ~€3 adults, ~€2 ages 7–18 and pensioners, under 7 free; family tickets from ~€6
Typical hours: Jul–Sep · Every day 09:00–20:00; Jan–Jun, Oct–Dec · Every day Closed
Setting: Indoor & outdoor
Wheelchair: Yes

Not recorded: Toilets, Parking

Opens in early July and runs to the end of September; there is nothing there the rest of the year

Open every day with no closing day while the festival runs. The site's own pages give two different closing times, so 20:00 is the safer assumption.

Best between 09:00 and 12:00

Hours, as recorded in open data

Jul–Sep · Every day 09:00–20:00; Jan–Jun, Oct–Dec · Every day Closed

jul-sep: Mo-Su 09:00-20:00; oct-jun: Mo-Su off

Last checked Sep 17, 2026

Directions

42.51075, 27.48124

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Worth a detour

Since 2008 Burgas has built a sand city every summer to a new theme, with sculptors from four continents; over two hundred and seventy compositions have been made and something near a hundred thousand people come each season. It opens in early July and stands until the end of September. Adults about €3, children about €2, and it takes an hour.

Story

Background

The festival was the first of its kind in Bulgaria. The 2026 edition opened on the sixth of July on the theme of sand heroes from the screen, with thirteen sculptors, and the opening evening is traditionally free.

The important practical point is the location, because it is widely got wrong including by the festival's own history page. It is not in the Sea Garden. It is in Park Ezero, on the western side of the city by the riding base, a different park altogether, and it has always been there. Arriving at the Sea Garden expecting to find it is a common and irritating mistake.

The sculpture itself is better than the concept suggests: large compositions in sand stabilised with water and worked with trowels and brushes, which survive a Black Sea summer and then are simply allowed to collapse. Ticket prices are among the lowest of any attraction in this guide — about three euros standard, two for children between seven and eighteen and for pensioners, free under seven and for visitors with disabilities, with family tickets from about six. Go in the morning: the light is better for photographs and the sand is not yet reflecting heat at you. Park Ezero also has a tennis court and a fun park, which makes a half day of it with children.