SandFest organizers announced on Tuesday, April 9, that the festival would be moved south down the beach and will now be located between Markers 13 to 17.
“This was a big decision for us,” said Richard Kay, SandFest vice president. “When we set up the site we have engineers and survey crews to set up the site. This move was not something that we took lightly.”
Kay said the north end of the site where the festival is normally located has had flooding problems the past two years.
The beach where the north gate had been located at Marker 9, was significantly smaller because of erosion and winds and we did not want to get flooding there again this year, according to Kay.
“The new location beginning at Marker 13, is a lot wider,” Kay said. “To make the move we had to re-engineer and survey the site, then get city approval to make the change.”
We had the city approval yesterday (April 9) so that is why we made the announcement late yesterday afternoon, he said.
The parking lots will still extend from Avenue G to Marker 13 on the north side, with the entrance to that parking lot at Marker 9.
The south end general parking lot entrance will be at Marker 19, just south of Beach Access Road 1A.
With the move, the organization is doubling the golf cart shuttles from the entrances to the parking lots.
In addition, they will be able to double the size of the handicapped parking lot, according to Kay. Handicapped parking will be available on the beach in the north parking lot, between Markers 12 and 13, with valid state-issued placards or license plates. Beach parking permits are required on all vehicles.
Also, organizers have established an elderly/disabled drop-off point on the north side of the SandFest site near Marker 12, close to the north festival entrance.
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