Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend is the
biggest burlesque festival on the planet, but it seems there are more
every year. Some of them are themed, such as nerdlesque festivals, but
most just cast a wide net and accept the best applicants they receive.
I've been to a lot of these other festivals, and my favorite just
happens to be in my hometown of Knoxville, TN and involves several
people from Salomé Cabaret, the subject of yesterday's essay. It's the Smoky Mountain Burlesque Festival, which will throw its fifth multi-night shindig again this September.
Smoky Mountain has been leveling up every year. If you attend SMBF, you'll see some fun shows, of course, and with success comes more applications, which means a stronger stable of performers to pull from. Some of the shows are held at the Bijou Theater in downtown Knoxville, a fantastic space that allows performers who can really move and work a stage an epic enough allowance to do that.
Most festivals aren't just performances. There are usually classes and workshops taught by festival headliners, to say nothing of networking opportunities for people meeting up for the first time. Where SMBF is extra-special is their Sunday outing to the most popular amusement park in the region: Dollywood. If you've never seen a bunch of art strippers invade a country-themed park and run amok all day amongst vacationing families, I highly recommend the experience.
The outing is emblematic of what SMBF does well that not all other fests can quite pull off: a sense of home. The festival books new performers every year, of course, but also has a passel of returning favorites. People continue to apply to this fest because it's a warm and open experience staffed by volunteers who want to show off their home city.
If you think BHoF in Vegas might be a little much for you, but you'd still like to see dozens of fantastic burlesque acts of every stripe, I recommend you check for a festival in your region. Or just come to Knoxville, where they've been killing it for four years straight. Dolly Parton herself agrees...The Queen of Country Music came to one of the shows last year.
Smoky Mountain has been leveling up every year. If you attend SMBF, you'll see some fun shows, of course, and with success comes more applications, which means a stronger stable of performers to pull from. Some of the shows are held at the Bijou Theater in downtown Knoxville, a fantastic space that allows performers who can really move and work a stage an epic enough allowance to do that.
Most festivals aren't just performances. There are usually classes and workshops taught by festival headliners, to say nothing of networking opportunities for people meeting up for the first time. Where SMBF is extra-special is their Sunday outing to the most popular amusement park in the region: Dollywood. If you've never seen a bunch of art strippers invade a country-themed park and run amok all day amongst vacationing families, I highly recommend the experience.
The outing is emblematic of what SMBF does well that not all other fests can quite pull off: a sense of home. The festival books new performers every year, of course, but also has a passel of returning favorites. People continue to apply to this fest because it's a warm and open experience staffed by volunteers who want to show off their home city.
If you think BHoF in Vegas might be a little much for you, but you'd still like to see dozens of fantastic burlesque acts of every stripe, I recommend you check for a festival in your region. Or just come to Knoxville, where they've been killing it for four years straight. Dolly Parton herself agrees...The Queen of Country Music came to one of the shows last year.
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