World Festival · the first of its kind
7 – 11 October 2026 · SOLEMAR & Ruh Ordo
Cholpon-Ata · Issyk-Kul · Kyrgyzstan
About the festival
On 7–11 October 2026, Cholpon-Ata (Issyk-Kul region, Kyrgyzstan) hosts the first International Sand Art Festival — five days of live performances, an international expo and the world's first sand art awards, across two venues: the SOLEMAR Recreation Center and the Ruh Ordo Cultural Center.
The festival is organized by the International Public Organization «Academy of Sand Painting» together with the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic and the State Agency for Tourism Development under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic — with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic and the National Association of UNESCO Clubs of Kyrgyzstan.
Masters of sand with world names, stars of high music, public figures and officials — live from Issyk-Kul, carried by leading TV channels and global social media.
Held together with and supported by
Program
Artists, gallery and exhibition owners, festival organizers and interested organizations gather for the first congress in history — and elect the first President of the World Sand Artists Union.
10 October · Ruh Ordo
The Golden Hourglass — the highest award in sand art — goes to six artists, one for each discipline, chosen from 30 world-class nominees. Plus the Grand Prix. Live worldwide, with stars of the world stage.
11 October · Ruh Ordo · live broadcast
An international trade exhibition: equipment manufacturers, tourism companies, resorts, festivals and partners. A direct way to reach a worldwide audience of sand art.
7 – 9 October · 10:00–18:00 · SOLEMAR
The strongest artists of the world perform and teach across all six sand art disciplines. Watch, learn, exchange experience — from bottle art to sand animation.
7 – 9 October · 14:00 & 17:00 · SOLEMAR
Practicing physicians, psychologists and educators working with sand therapy gather to share clinical experience and methods — the point where sand art meets science and healing.
9 October · 11:00–13:00 · SOLEMAR
Official schedule
The approved program of the «Sand Art Week» Festival. All times are Bishkek time (UTC+6).
The program may be refined — the current version is always published here and on @sandfest2026.
Six disciplines
Zobel Prize
The world's first award in sand art. Six masters — one per discipline — selected from 30 nominees by an expert commission across five continents. And one Grand Prix.
The ceremony is broadcast live on 11 October 2026 with maximum country coverage and stars of the world stage.
Festival news
Guest of honor
The celebrated Italian singer is invited to perform at the Zobel Prize ceremony on 11 October — live from the shore of Issyk-Kul, together with stars of the world stage.
Registration
Artists, exhibitors and guests — reserve your place and your room at SOLEMAR via WhatsApp.
Nominees
The expert commission has shortlisted 30 world-name masters for six Golden Hourglasses and the Grand Prix.
By his own hand. Benjamin Zobel, «The Hermit», c. 1800 — coloured sand on board. Two centuries on, the grains have not moved.
Column · Director General
For all his modesty, and for how little the world knows of him, Benjamin Zobel was a singular man — in truth, a genius. He was born and raised in a family of makers: his grandfather was a free artist, his father a cook who kept his own bakery. Most of the boy's hours went to the bakery, to feed and help the family; whatever was left of the day he spent painting beside his grandfather. In his own way he joined cooking and painting together — and, without knowing it, opened a new direction in art.
Competing for the right to cook at the royal court, he drew the very dishes he had prepared on a snow-white tablecloth — using sugar heated to different degrees to obtain his palette — and covered the cloth with glass. Meat, fish, fowl and fruit were beautifully rendered, and the plates of food were set upon them.
Perhaps it was from that day that Benjamin Zobel stopped being a cook and became the master of a new direction in painting. Marmotinto — the origin of the word is unknown, but it is the style of static sand pictures. His sand painting of sheep, made in 1826 and kept in a museum in Germany, turns two hundred years old this October — the same month his name is handed out as a prize.
In truth, sand painting is where leisure begins, and it is primordial. The first children on earth drew on sand with a finger or a stick. And if it comes to that — in every courtyard of every city in the world there is a sandbox.
The World Academy of Sand Painting is a foundation and a recognition. It is culture, art, healthcare, education, leisure. The creation of the Union of Sand Painting Artists and the establishment of the highest award — the Zobel Prize — is a revolution in a new direction of art. Good luck on the road, friends!
Daily festival news — follow @sandfest2026
Venues
Days 1–3 — the SOLEMAR Recreation Center: expo, master classes and conferences. Days 4–5 — the Ruh Ordo Cultural Center: the Congress of sand artists, the closing and the Zobel Prize ceremony. Both stand on the northern shore, a short drive apart — transfer for participants is arranged.
The festival takes place at the elite SOLEMAR Recreation Center on the northern shore of Issyk-Kul — one of the largest alpine lakes on Earth, ringed by the snow peaks of the Tian Shan. Sandy beaches, mountain air and October sun: the natural home for a festival of sand.
The final two days move to the Ruh Ordo Cultural Center named after Chingiz Aitmatov — an open-air complex on the lakeshore with sculpture alleys, museums and a ceremonial stage. Here the world's sand artists hold their first Congress, close the festival and walk the red carpet of the Zobel Prize.
Partners
International partner
Kyrgyz Republic · «AIMAK» Cluster Association — a partner of the festival in international cooperation, the expo program and work with producers and delegations.
Partnership
An Expo stand, a sponsor package, a country delegation or a media partnership — the festival is broadcast worldwide and gathers artists from 50+ countries. Formats are discussed individually.
Become a partnerRegistration & contacts
Artists, galleries, EXPO exhibitors, tour operators, physicians, psychologists and educators, sponsors, patrons and guests — registration and room booking are open. We are glad to discuss partnership and cooperation in any format.