Burlesque Festivals in 2024!
Burlesque festivals are more popular than ever in 2024, and many times students ask me if it's too soon for them to go to a festival if they're new performers.
It's never too soon!
Festivals are a great way to discover performers, producers, and venues, and to meet new people. They are a concentrated networking opportunity that includes amazing shows and often with unique classes by headliners and locals. They’re usually expensive to travel to, but with this list you might be able to find some within driving distance, so you can get your first few festival experiences without a major investment. Remember to be yourself so you attract people who share your interests, instead of trying to impress people who intimidate you (and remember, sometimes getting intimidated by a person is something you do to yourself, not something they do to you – you are worthy of respect and having your art respected, at all times! Nobody is important enough to pander to or be insulted by). Make compatibility your number one priority.
My number one tip for applying? Follow the instructions! If you're like me (ADHD and on the spectrum), or even if you just have trouble with the jitters when you get nervous, you may have to read through the application more than once, or even read it out loud, to get clarity on what is being requested and in what format. However, once you are sure the instructions are clear to you, all you have to do is follow them! If you have a question, check the website or read through the application again to make sure you didn't miss something. Putting together a festival is overwhelming and producers are often upset that after all the work they did to make sure information was available, you didn't bother to read it. On the other hand, producers DO sometimes make mistakes, or make details hard to find, so it's not necessarily your fault if you can't find the info. Just do the best you can, and use your own judgement, while keeping in mind that producers are very very busy during application seasons.
Looking for festivals to attend or apply to? You can get started with my festival list, which also includes links to other sources of festival information.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c7s4Bv03ozUQthIfCw-iCKlWKBIkxYov5fyJXc65OEI/edit?usp=sharing
Let me know if you have any trouble with the link.
Do you have any suggestions for students reading this article? Any festivals you think I should add to my list? Let us know in the comments!
It's never too soon!
Festivals are a great way to discover performers, producers, and venues, and to meet new people. They are a concentrated networking opportunity that includes amazing shows and often with unique classes by headliners and locals. They’re usually expensive to travel to, but with this list you might be able to find some within driving distance, so you can get your first few festival experiences without a major investment. Remember to be yourself so you attract people who share your interests, instead of trying to impress people who intimidate you (and remember, sometimes getting intimidated by a person is something you do to yourself, not something they do to you – you are worthy of respect and having your art respected, at all times! Nobody is important enough to pander to or be insulted by). Make compatibility your number one priority.
My number one tip for applying? Follow the instructions! If you're like me (ADHD and on the spectrum), or even if you just have trouble with the jitters when you get nervous, you may have to read through the application more than once, or even read it out loud, to get clarity on what is being requested and in what format. However, once you are sure the instructions are clear to you, all you have to do is follow them! If you have a question, check the website or read through the application again to make sure you didn't miss something. Putting together a festival is overwhelming and producers are often upset that after all the work they did to make sure information was available, you didn't bother to read it. On the other hand, producers DO sometimes make mistakes, or make details hard to find, so it's not necessarily your fault if you can't find the info. Just do the best you can, and use your own judgement, while keeping in mind that producers are very very busy during application seasons.
Looking for festivals to attend or apply to? You can get started with my festival list, which also includes links to other sources of festival information.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c7s4Bv03ozUQthIfCw-iCKlWKBIkxYov5fyJXc65OEI/edit?usp=sharing
Let me know if you have any trouble with the link.
Do you have any suggestions for students reading this article? Any festivals you think I should add to my list? Let us know in the comments!
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