Treasure Island’s Sanding Ovations Masters Cup Canceled Due to Hurricane Devastation

Treasure Island, Fla. – It is with great sadness that the city of Treasure Island announces the cancellation of our popular Sanding Ovations Masters Cup, originally scheduled for November 21-24, with an encore weekend from November 30 to December 1. The widespread devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton has left our beloved beach and community in a state of recovery that will not allow us to host this year’s event.

The damage to the beach’s infrastructure, including the destruction of the beach’s electric systems, combined with the unsuitable condition of the sand, makes it impossible for us to proceed with the event safely. Additionally, our host hotels cannot accommodate guests, and parking lots are being utilized for ongoing recovery operations.

Our committee members, many of whom live on the island, have also been personally affected by the storms and must now focus on rebuilding their homes and supporting the broader community’s recovery efforts.

Sanding Ovations is Treasure Island’s signature event and one of the primary attractions that has helped position our city as one of the most popular beach destinations in the country. The event, featuring world-class sand sculptures, live music, food and craft vendors, a kite festival, and a fireworks display, has become a celebration of the natural beauty of our beaches and community.

We are heartbroken that we cannot share this experience with the thousands of attendees who travel from around the world to enjoy it each year. However, our focus must now be on healing and rebuilding our community.

We look forward to bringing Sanding Ovations back stronger than ever in the future and thank everyone for their continued support and understanding during this challenging time.

Next year’s Sanding Ovations dates will be Nov. 20-23, with the Encore Weekend Nov. 29-30.

Stay strong, Treasure Island. We will get through this.