These aren’t your average sandcastles. For one, their size can be measured in tons rather than bucketfuls. For another, they’re weather-proofed. “We spray on a windscreen which protects them from sun and wind and erosion,” said Greg Grady, the head of the team that designed and built the sculptures. “A lot of people will say, what happens when it rains? But unless it’s a torrential nor’easter, rain can only help a sand sculpture. It packs it tighter.”

Wait, October? “Some of the merchants keep them up all year,” said Linda Jean, chair of the Yarmouth Summer Celebration Kick Off, which coordinates the Yarmouth Sand Sculpture Trail. “If they’re covered from the snow, obviously.”

YARMOUTH—Bass River Beach has an ephemeral claim to fame: the largest sand sculpture on Cape Cod. Weighing a whopping 50 tons, it depicts a boy riding a sea serpent. Along with 40 other sculptures scattered outside businesses in Yarmouth, it will stay up until at least October.

The pieces range from culturally significant, like the striking replica of a bronze statue of legendary Irish hero Cuchalainn outside the Cape Cod Irish Village, to whimsically decorative, like the boat overflowing with bonbons outside Candy Co. The local businesses that decide to sponsor a statue work with Grady and his team to find the right design for their storefront. Few of the businesses are actually by the beach; Yarmouth’s main drag is Route 28. The sand, which comes in by truck, serves as a reminder of the nearby waterfront.


Sand sculpture of Irish hero Cuchulainn. Greg Grady

Grady is a sand sculptor by trade, as his father was, though he also does some ice and snow sculpting during the winter. This is the sixth year Grady has come to Yarmouth for the Summer Celebration. He’s always happy to return to the Cape, where his career first started.


“I started sand-sculpting just like everyone else did,” Grady said, “when I was vacationing on the Cape with my father and my family. Just your typical playing in the sand.”

Now Grady takes sandcastle building to a whole new level — and also insists it’s more work than play. “It’s very physical,” Grady said. “People think we’re just playing in the sand, but it’s a ton of work.”

He believes that the Yarmouth Sand Sculpture Trail is the longest of its kind in the world, and it took him and his team of five artists 10 days to complete. They’ll be back at some point this summer to do touch-ups.

Six years ago, there were fewer than a dozen sculptures, Jean said, but that number has multiplied as their popularity grew.

“I’m a firm believer that the sculptures draw visitors,” said Jean, who claims that they printed out 20,000 maps of the sculpture trail this year and expect to run out before summer’s end.

Tom MacCormaic of the Cape Cod Irish Village said that every year their Irish-themed sculpture draws a number of curious photographers, some of whom stop in to ask additional questions. This year, he included a plaque detailing its history and significance.

“You know, I wish I could put something over it and make it last all year,” MacCormaic said. “It’s amazing what they do with sand.”

This year, the trail has gotten a little extra attention because of a mermaid sculpture outside of seafood restaurant Salty’s. It was deemed salacious by some visitors. Jean said the criticism comes with the territory. “I think all the sculptures are a work of art, perceived by different people in different ways,” she said. “I love all the attention it’s been getting.”


Grady was more blunt. “It’s not rude or nude, so I don’t see the fuss,” he said. “But people are allowed to have their opinions.”

Many had positive thoughts about the sculptures in general, like a visitor from Florida who was photographing the statue outside Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf (surprise: a miniaturized pirate’s galleon). “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “I’ve been driving all down Route 28 and taking pictures.”

“I think the sculptures really are an attraction for outside visitors,” Jean said. “At the very least, they get people wondering, where is Yarmouth, Mass.?”

Sophie Haigney can be reached at sophie.haigney@globe.com or 617-929-2560. Follow her on Twitter at @SophieHaigney.