By THE OREGONIAN/OregonLive
BANDON — If you want to check out Circles in the Sand this year, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to take a look.
The popular sand labyrinths on the southern Oregon coast are returning this year, with public events beginning May 2 and ending Aug. 15, according to the latest schedule released by organizers.
There will be 28 events in total, coordinated with low tides that allow volunteers to draw the labyrinths into the sand at Face Rock Beach in Bandon. The labyrinths can be seen up close on the beach or from a viewpoint above.
Times on the schedule refer to when completed labyrinths will be open for walking. The Circles in the Sand team begins drawing the designs about two hours earlier, when crowds begin to form. People should allow for about 20 minutes to walk through a labyrinth, the group said.
Artist and religious practitioner Denny Dyke started Circles in the Sand in 2015, working alongside a team of volunteers to create labyrinths – which he calls “dreamfields” – on Oregon coast beaches at low tide.
In previous years, Dyke and his team have scheduled as many as 60 drawings in all seasons, occasionally visiting other beaches around the area. In recent years they have scaled back the schedule and kept all events at Face Rock.
Circles in the Sand has previously warned visitors about parking, as each event draws large crowds. The parking lot at Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint is small, and while some parking is designated along the road leading to the viewpoint, there are several “no parking” areas in the surrounding neighborhood, which the group asks people to respect.
Here’s the schedule for 2022:
May 2 at 9 a.m.
May 3 at 9 a.m.
May 18 at 9 a.m.
May 19 at 9 a.m.
May 20 at 10 a.m.
May 21 at 11 a.m.
May 22 at noon
May 31 at 8 a.m.
June 1 at 8 a.m.
June 2 at 9 a.m.
June 16 at 9 a.m.
June 17 at 9 a.m.
June 18 at 10 a.m.
June 19 at 11 a.m.
June 30 at 8 a.m.
July 1 at 8 a.m.
July 2 at 9 a.m.
July 3 at 10 a.m.
July 15 at 8 a.m.
July 16 at 9 a.m.
July 17 at 10 a.m.
July 18 at 10 a.m.
July 29 at 8 a.m.
July 30 at 8 a.m.
July 31 at 9 a.m.
Aug. 13 at 8:30 a.m.
Aug. 14 at 9 a.m.
Aug. 15 at 9 a.m.