The hook
Every summer in a Laguna canyon, hundreds of volunteers hold perfectly still inside giant frames so that, for a few minutes each, they become famous paintings.
01Why it's worth it
It started in the Depression, when Laguna Beach was trying to draw buyers to its artists, and someone had the idea of staging tableaux vivants, "living pictures." It caught on and never stopped. For eight weeks each summer, in an outdoor amphitheater tucked into Laguna Canyon, real people made up with paint, costumes, and trick lighting are posed inside oversized frames to recreate famous works of art so exactly that, from your seat, you genuinely can't tell they're alive, until the light shifts and they move. A full orchestra plays and a narrator walks you through each one over ninety minutes. It takes tens of thousands of volunteer hours, and it's unlike anything else in the country.
02How to experience it
It's at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach, about seven hours from the Bay, and it runs only in July and August as part of the Festival of Arts. Tickets sell out, so plan well ahead; canyon evenings can be cool, so bring a layer. It pairs with the art festival grounds and a Laguna beach day.