Festival Season in Laguna

Summer in Southern California is one of my favorite times of year for many reasons, one of them being that it is Festival Season in Laguna Beach. Laguna offers anything from the famous Sawdust Festival to the Art-A-Fair to the amazing Pageant of the Masters and Festival of Arts. This year I was lucky enough to go to the Sawdust Festival as well as the Festival of Arts and see Pageant of the Masters. Below is a photo of the iconic Sawdust Festival sign on the entrance building and a panoramic I took so you can see the vast number of booths and the sawdust ground that gives the festival its name.

The Sawdust Festival has always been a tradition for me, my mom and aunt to go to every year. I have bought some of my favorite jewelry there and every time there is something new to see. Patti Jo Designs is one of my favorites and I have definitely stocked up on her beautiful pearl jewelry over the years. (Below are some of my rings and one of my necklaces from Patti Jo. 

    

A recent purchase of mine from the Sawdust Festival was this cute little gold starfish ear cuff from Sandra Castillo’s earcharms! (You can head to the Sawdust Festival’s website http://sawdustartfestival.org/ to read more about artists or tickets.)

There is never a lack of art or beautiful things to see around the Sawdust Festival and Festival of the Arts. Below are photos of my mom and I by a beautiful mosaic arched doorway and a gorgeous blue mosaic wall.

This year was the first time I went to the Festival of Arts and saw the Pageant of the Masters. The Festival of Arts was beautiful and there was so much to see! I will probably be going back before the summer is over. The Pageant of the Masters was truly a treat; for people unfamiliar with the Pageant, it is where actors and actresses are dressed/painted and pose in famous paintings. I honestly couldn’t tell if they were real people or not! In a couple of the scenes, the people in the paintings would dance which actually made the paintings look like they came to life. Below is a photo of the stage and the beautiful hills around Laguna in the background. (Photography is prohibited of the paintings and performers so I only have a photo of the stage as people filed in before the performance. You can head to their website http://www.foapom.com/ to see more information or buy tickets!)

I would highly recommend making a trip down to Laguna during these summer months (check the websites mentioned above for dates) and check out the Sawdust Festival, the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, or any of the other festivals going on! Laguna is a great place to be anytime, but it is especially exciting during the summer. (Below: a photo I snapped of the boardwalk on the beach.)