In fact, this would fit right in with the ethos (I think) behind the current Urbis exhibition called Play.
Play is all about the way people use the urban space to enjoy and express themselves. So all sorts of examples of how people change the way a city looks from the predictable medium of grafitti to more surprising methods like the group who go around planting trees and plants in the middle of cities (carrying out their work in the dead of night in case they get caught and put in prison!) Visitors are encouraged to become part of the exhibition by writing on sticky tabs and placing them on the works, some real giggles from some of the things people had written.
My favourite bit was a game that was set up where visitors are supposed to try to throw plastic balls off a balcony at the top of the building towards targets made from satellite dishes down on the ground floor. Of course, any rough types who've only come in to get warm for a bit take great delight in pelting the middle-class folk who are taking it all seriously on the floors below. The peltees are visibly rattled, and it gave that whole end of the building an air of tension. The Urbis staff don't do a thing about it, just collect balls to re-stock the balcony from time to time. The balls were large and soft and being thrown from a long way away. They would never actually hurt anyone, even with a direct hit to the eye socket. But it's hard to be cool when there's a dozen or so teenagers pelting you with things, however soft they are (the teenagers or the balls).
Once you get to the top, it's really quite good fun to become one of the bad lads and fling a few balls down at people. And that's when you realise how harmless it all is. Back on the floor from the balcony, it's still fun. The balls aren't as intimidating, you can try to volley or head them at other people and chuck a couple back up to the balcony.
To me, it summarised one of the messages of the exhibition: that many of the things that the authorities try to stop, things which people do to relax, are in fact completely harmless. I probably missed the real point entirely, but there you go.
Link to a more grown-up explaination.
The beach is probably a continuation of that theme - put the sand there and see what people do. An interesting spin-off will the all the domestic discord that occurs when office people come home from a day at work and their partners find sand in their clothes and crevices!
It's nothing new, anyway. Piccadilly Radio held a beach party in Piccadilly Gardens in the 80s. It was ace, they gave away stickers and everything. I saw Steve Penk, that's how cool it was. In those days the Gardens were always full of punks drinking cider and glaring at people. 200 tonnes of sand soon sorted that out, I tell you.
I can write what I want here, nobody reads long posts anyway. Apart from the last line, to see whether the rest of it is worth reading.
And that, gentelmen, is how you get a girl to sleep with you.
Do I win £40?
walking on the beaches looking at the peaches 
