Pageant of the Masters Tickets

The Pageant of the Masters began in 1933 at the second Festival of Arts. Artist Lolita Perine came up with the idea for live works of art. Enlisting the help of Laguna Beach residents, Perine put on the first pageant. In 1934, the Festival of Arts organizers brought back Perine’s concept, dubbing it The Spirit of the Masters Pageant.

A local couple, Roy and Marie Ropp, were hired to revamp the living art presentation the following year. They renamed it the Pageant of the Masters. Known as the “Father of the Pageant,” Roy Ropp oversaw the pageant’s production from 1935 until 1941 when the Festival of Arts was put on hold during World War II. Pageant of the Masters has since gained worldwide fame with The New York Times claiming, “There is nothing else in the world like it.”

What to Watch For

• The Festival of Arts began in 1932 and has returned to Laguna Beach every summer except for a four-year break during World War II and in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring a variety of artistic mediums from over one hundred artists, the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show, along with the Pageant of the Masters, draws in over a quarter of a million people every year.
• Pageant of the Masters productions are put on by a largely volunteer-based crew and the work demands over 60,000 hours of work. In an effort to offset the workload, Pageant of the Masters includes two separate casts. There is a Blue and a Green cast that alternate performances.
• This year, director Diane “Dee” Challis Davy is working to present artworks never seen in the Pageant of the Masters. Featuring these new artworks, Challis Davy is taking pageant audiences to places like Taos, New Mexico, and East Los Angeles.
• Pageant of the Masters has found a place in pop culture. Arrested Development parodied the live pageant in their episode “In God We Trust.” Gilmore Girls also imitated the festival in their episode “The Festival of Living Art,” winning the show an Emmy Award.