The Galveston Island Revue Weekend features classic cars, vintage vendors, live music, and the crowd-favorite Bathing Beauties contest.
Based on Island events from summer seasons past like the Pageant of Pulchritude and Splash Day, the Galveston Island Revue Weekend was resurrected into a contemporary family-friendly event in 2009. Continue reading to learn more about this year's event highlights.
When: Annually in June
The Galveston Island Revue Weekend puts a spotlight on the island’s vintage past while highlighting many of Galveston Historical Foundation’s incredible sites and properties. The annual event has become a signature kick-off to Galveston’s summer season and invites friends and families to come down and take part in a retro weekend in historic Galveston.
Will Wright, Galveston Historical Foundation’s Chief Creative Officer
Dubbed the “Pageant of Pulchritude” by C.E. Barfield, the Galveston beauty contest began in the summer of 1920 and from then on marked the kick-off for tourist season each year. By 1928, the event (which had morphed into the “bathing girl revue”) had become so popular, the Island’s population was said to have tripled during the event weekend.
These Island pageants are said to have been the beginning of what we know today as the Miss Universe Pageant. The famed Galveston Bathing Beauties pageants ended in 1932 due in part to the Great Depression and were resurrected in 2009. The event’s location is footsteps away from its original location in the early 1920s.
The weekend’s main event features the world-famous Bathing Beauties! The contest has become a must-see event as locals and tourists of all ages vie for a glimpse at the vintage swimsuits, parasols and cheer on this year’s contestants as they compete for bragging rights, cash prizes, sashes, and more. Free to the public at Saengerfest Park!
Hot rods, rat rods, vintage trailers, and more are lining up to take part in the Galveston Island Revue Classic Car Show! It's an evening of can’t-miss vintage-inspired fun. The car show will be a downtown evening event at Saengerfest Park!
Galveston Island Revue is a fun way to welcome the summer and celebrate a historical event from a century ago. This one-of-a-kind event brings a colorful story to life along Galveston’s famous seawall...
Dwayne Jones, GHF Executive Director
