Let's go behind the scenes at Jesolo Sand Nativity. Discover how the magic happens that transforms the huge sand pyramids into extraordinary sculptures for you to admire.
A full 1,500 tons of sand are needed to create the marvelous sculptures that make up the Jesolo Sand Nativity.
This clean, sifted sand, stored in a large warehouse, is carefully compacted every year to allow international artists to create their extraordinary works of art.
The first step in creating sculptures is creating the sand block. As with more traditional materials like marble, to create a sand sculpture you need to start with a large block and then carve out the figures.
Before being worked by the skilled hands of the artists, the sand is wetted and mechanically compacted inside rigid formwork. This process, called "hard compacting" and developed in the 1970s, allows the artist to create sculptures capable of defying gravity, creating strongly vertical sections or cantilevered details.
The actual sculptural phase begins by dismantling the formwork to release the sand, which is then sketched and immediately refined in a process that goes from top to bottom.
An artist working with sand must compose a work differently than when sculpting a more durable material, such as wood, and must take its primary characteristics into account to highlight possible sagging or fractures that could damage the final result of the work.
As you can see in the following video, the team of international artists, coordinated by artistic director David Ducharme, is completing the majestic sand sculptures on the theme of the "Canticle of the Creatures".
And here are the splendid sand sculptures inaugurated last December 1st during a ceremony rich in inspiration and meaning, which saw the participation of the five major religious traditions to share a message of peace.
Jesolo Sand Nativity will be open to the public every day in the marquee set up in Piazza Brescia from Saturday, November 29, 2025 to Sunday, February 8, 2026.
We look forward to seeing you to admire it in all its majestic beauty!
