Islander By Choice is proud to announce the resurrection of Galveston Island's legendary Bathing Beauties Pageant May 16th at 2 p.m. Located on the historic Galveston shoreline, just east of the 33rd Street jetty, IBC will renew this "Island original" with two categories: contemporary swimwear and vintage- inspired. Attendance to the event is free.
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 America Contest.
