Sand Castles in Pioneer Courthouse Square

Portland cats rejoice: Sand in the City kicks off today, in which our city’s living room is turned into a litterbox 450 tons of sand are constructed into sand sculptures in the middle of downtown Portland for the fun of kids, families, and that creepy guy on the beach with the metal detector. (And not cats after all, sorry.) There’s a lot going on over the course of the three-day affair, so be sure to check out the schedule. There’s also a slightly complicated admission structure** (it’s either $3 or $5 depending on when you enter, and families get in for $10, but there is also an all inclusive bracelet for $50**, which includes food and drink). The music schedule appears here, and tonight boasts a set from Ramona Falls with Lost Lander, two great local bands who share some members. That’s at 8:15. So, you know, go check out some sand castles in Pioneer Square, if that’s your thing. There’s puppets and zoo animals and a luau and stuff.

**UPDATE! An email from Rachel Good at Impact NW makes things much clearer:

I wanted to clarify the “slightly complicated admission structure” so that readers aren’t confused. Sand in the City is FREE, but we do have a scale of recommended donations if people want to contribute to Impact NW as they enter or exit the event. The numbers you mentioned ($3, 5, 10) are suggested donation amounts, but are absolutely not mandatory. We want everyone to be able to enjoy Sand in the City regardless of their ability to pay.

The $50 all-inclusive package is for our VIP event, Luau in the City, which will take place Saturday night and is more of a direct fundraiser geared at major donors.

She adds:

Also, there are robots!

SWEET.