About Laguna Beach, California (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Laguna Beach is a city located in southern Orange County, California, approximately 24 miles southeast of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 23,727 at the 2000 census.

The city's most famous institution is the Festival of Arts, an annual art exhibition in the summer which has given the city a reputation for being "artsy." Apart from bringing together artists and art collectors, the Festival is also famous for the Pageant of the Masters, an annual living statue show where local volunteers reproduce several dozen famous artworks in an evening (with the help of elaborate costumes and makeup). The Pageant is apparently the only show of its type and scale in western North America. Another famous annual event is the Sawdust Art Festival. Its summer art show features local artists exhibiting paintings, sculpture and fine craft in an artist village which is built each year.

Because of occasional financial problems, the Festival has occasionally considered licensing the Pageant concept to other cities, but each time has ultimately refused. Licensing the Pageant would decrease the uniqueness of Laguna Beach and thus its attractiveness to tourists.

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