Pageant of the Masters

What the Pageant is

The Pageant of the Masters is a theatrical show in which real people stand still on an outdoor stage and take the place of the figures in famous paintings and sculptures. The Festival of Arts, a nonprofit, produces it in the Irvine Bowl at 650 Laguna Canyon Road. A live narrator walks the audience through each piece, and a 20-piece orchestra plays along.

A Pageant ticket also covers the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show on the same grounds for the whole summer, and the Festival suggests arriving early to walk the exhibits before the show.

2027 season

The Festival lists the 2027 Pageant as nightly from June 30 to August 28, 2027, closed July 4 and 5. Performances start at 8:30 p.m. The 2027 theme is “Celebrations: The Joy of Art.” The Festival says the show will mark Laguna Beach’s centennial and the Festival’s own 95th anniversary, with works by artists such as Seurat, Manet, Cassatt, Renoir, Chagall and Matisse.

The Festival lists an ASL-interpreted performance on Monday, August 16, 2027.

Tickets

Tickets go on sale to the public on December 1, 2026. As of October 2026 the Festival has not posted 2027 prices, so none appear here. These are the rules it publishes:

• Buy online, by phone at 800-487-3378, by mail order or at the ticket window at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.
• Every ticket carries a service fee, however you buy it.
• Every person needs a ticket and a seat. The Festival does not admit children under four, and prices do not change by age.
• Exchanges are allowed up to two weeks before the performance, subject to availability, with a fee of at least $15 per ticket.
• Refunds are not offered for any reason. If the director cancels a show, the Festival offers replacement tickets in the same season.
• The Festival sells its own tickets. It does not offer reprints, exchanges or will-call for tickets bought from resellers.

The venue has 2,600 seats in 42 rows.

Show night

Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and curtain is at 8:30 p.m. The intermission falls around 9:30 p.m., and the show ends about 10:30 p.m. The Festival asks you to arrive early because parking is limited, and it seats latecomers only at a suitable break, at staff discretion.

The Festival suggests bringing a jacket or blanket, because the air cools after sunset, and it sells jackets and blankets at its gift shop. Binoculars and seat cushions can be rented on site. The Festival says the grounds are about a five-minute walk from downtown.

Rules at the gate

• No cameras, phone photos or recording devices during the Pageant, and phones must be silenced.
• Bags and coolers may be searched on entry. You can bring snacks and drinks in one cooler or basket no larger than 14 by 14 by 14 inches that fits under your seat.
• No glass bottles or glasses in the Irvine Bowl. No candles, selfie sticks, laser pointers, personal chairs or tables.
• No sitting on the ground, with or without a blanket.
• No smoking or vaping on the grounds.
• Service animals are allowed. Emotional support and comfort animals are not.

Rain

The Pageant director decides whether a show is cancelled for weather. The Festival offers no refunds for a cancelled show but offers replacement tickets in the same season, based on availability.

Getting there and parking

The Festival says there is no parking at its facility apart from a few drop-off spots by the box office. Paid public lots and street meters sit within walking distance, and Laguna Beach Transit runs a free trolley to the grounds. Three art festivals run on Laguna Canyon Road at once, so the Festival advises early arrival. The parking guide lists the city lots and permits, and the getting around guide covers the trolley. The summer festivals guide compares the Pageant with the other three summer events.

Accessibility

The Festival lists a drop-off zone with a ramp at the front entrance, wheelchair and companion seating in Row A, a handheld script reader for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, and courtesy wheelchairs. Its accessibility page also warns that the show uses theatrical smoke, strobe lights, moving lights and sound effects. Call the ticket office at 800-487-3378 with seating requests.

A short history

The Festival of Arts held its first show in 1932. Its history timeline says living pictures first appeared in 1933, and that Roy Ropp gave the program the name Pageant of the Masters in 1935. The Last Supper has closed the show since 1936. The Irvine Bowl was dedicated as the permanent home in 1941, and World War II halted the Festival and Pageant from 1942 to 1945.

Plan the rest of the trip

July and August fall in peak festival season, and the July and August guides cover weather and daylight. For lodging, see the Stay section.