Art Magic all Summer in Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach has been an exclusive haven for the arts for nearly a century, as well as the sparkling jewel of Southern California’s own scenic Riviera coastline. A year-round destination, Laguna shines brightest in the summer months. Gentle ocean breezes combine with some of the cleanest beaches, water and air on the coast to make the area a magnet for water-play, tide pool exploring, bird watching and just enjoying the refreshing coastal temperatures. But it is the art that keeps people coming back each summer with the Festival of Arts and undoubtedly one of the most unique art and theater presentations on earth: The Pageant of the Masters. The live production nearly defies description, but I’ll try. Why? Because this is one event you need to put on your calendar this summer. I defy you to believe the “magic” unveiled before your eyes!

Decades of Making Art Come Alive

In the summer of 1933, the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts was born when around two dozen artists hung their paintings on fences, trees and buildings along Laguna’s main street, hoping to lure visitors to the first Festival of Arts, while some artists opened their home-studios to the public. Music, colorful signs and banners, parades and entertainment added to the celebratory ambiance of the event, which turned Laguna Beach into one enormous art gallery. In 1935, “living pictures” were transformed into a full production with music, narration and painted backdrops, giving birth to “The Pageant of the Masters” which rapidly evolved into a popular summer tradition. Not surprisingly, the pageant now draws an audience of more than 225,000, and the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show prevails as one of the longest-running art exhibitions in the state.

The Pageant of the Masters has since evolved into an internationally acclaimed, fantastical theatrical-art event. With its own permanent home since 1935 in a canyon-cradled amphitheater, the pageant continues to defy optical reality. Guests who return year after year still depart marveling at how art masterpieces—from the “Mona Lisa” to the “Last Supper”—magically become living pictures complete with art-accurate script, professional narration, live orchestra and exquisite costuming.

Time Travel in July & August

And, so began Laguna Beach’s famously unique Pageant of the Masters that takes place this year July 7 – August 31. Months earlier, the casting call went out to nearly 1.200 residents and volunteers who auditioned to be transformed and posed to duplicate artistic masterpieces in living human recreations for this summer’s production, “Time Machine.” Five hundred of those hopefuls are either living art pieces or volunteers at the canyon-set amphitheater that comes alive under the stars each evening. Interesting to note that although the Pageant of the Masters takes place in an outdoor amphitheater, it has only experienced three rain-outs since its beginnings.

This year’s theme, inspired by “Back to the Future” and H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, will transport audiences around the globe and into the past, present and future in search of great art and amazing stories. Taking its cue from science fiction, the music-filled production that bridges the world of art and entertainment guarantees to thrill, as well as provide a few laughs.

More art, concerts and talks

The Festival of the Arts, one of the nation’s most acclaimed juried fine art shows, is the mother company that produces the Pageant of the Masters as well as the Festival of Arts fine art show each summer. Taking place July 5-August 31, the Festival has been rated one of the top festivals in the nation and each year hosts 140 of Orange County’s most talented artists. Recent accolades include Orange County Register’s Best Place to Buy Original Art, Art Fair Calendar’s Top Five Art Fairs in the West and Top 5 Art Festival in the nation voted by USA Today readers. Live music, hands-on art activities, exhibitions of local student artwork and a wide variety of special events round out one of southern California’s favorite outdoor summer event.

In addition to the variety of artwork, the Festival of Arts offers a wide range of daily activities that the whole family can enjoy. The calendar includes nightly live music, Concerts on the Green, guided art tours and art workshops. Several special one-day events will return this year, including the very popular Festival Runway Fashion Show and Family Art Day.

Did You Know?

• Body make-up that creates the illusion of marble or bronze is purchased in five-gallon containers.
• One year, homing pigeons were released prior to the performance, and a disoriented pigeon later returned during the performance and landed on the shoulder of the living statue slathered in a gooey body make-up. The pigeon tried to maintain its stance on the “statue” although it kept slipping in the make-up, much to the horror of the audience.
• One summer, a skunk that was “partial” to the music came down from the surrounding canyon and into the orchestra pit.
• Actress Bette Davis, who was rumored to have appeared in the opening act of the pageant in the 1950s, never did. Although a long-time volunteer and fan, she hurt her foot and was unable to participate.
• A special costuming room exists for those over 18 years of age where many of the art world’s greatest statues and paintings that include some nudity are recreated on live models.

• Two volunteer casts, a blue cast and a green cast, alternate work schedules for the show that runs 56 straight nights in the summer. The very first Pageant in 1933 ran only 8 days.
• Cast members range in age from 4 to 84 with kids, parents and grandparents sometimes all taking part in a production. Only fifteen percent of the volunteers are from the local area. They come from as far away as San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside.
• “The Last Supper” remains the closing tableaux each year, due to its overwhelming audience popularity. Some of the casts for the closing act have been a part of the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece for more than three decades. There have only been 3 years that the masterpiece was not recreated.

Get your passport

Passport to the Arts may be purchased for $29 and includes unlimited admission all summer long to the Festival of Arts, the Sawdust Art Festival and Laguna Art-A-Fair. Enjoy works of art by more than 500 artists, 300 hands-on workshops, dozens of special events, plus a one-time, all-day free parking pass with each Passport purchased.Order online at www.LagunaBeachPassport.com. Passports also available for purchase on-site at each festival location during the summer. Offer excludes Pageant of the Masters.

Pageant of the Masters tickets are available here and at www.foapom.com . Note that a pageant ticket includes free unlimited admission to the Festival of the Arts all summer long.

More Laguna Beach to Enjoy

You know you want to see all the beauty Laguna has to offer! Get more information on Laguna Beach happenings, from resorts and restaurants to recreation, here.

Photos courtesy of Festival of Arts