Thank you for your interest in applying to the RVA Burlesque Festival taking place November 5th-7th in Richmond, VA!

Applications open are open from April 1st-20th with no application fee! There will be a late application period from May 1st until May 15th with an application fee of $10.

Notifications will be sent out on or before July 5th.

Limit of one application with up to two acts per performer. Additional apps for duets, groups, or hosting are allowed.

Performers of the 2026 festival will receive a $50 stipend/act + split of tips from the weekend as well as free admission to all festival showcases.

Applications are scored on the following categories:

Act Content

Polish and Execution

Movement/Choreography

Stage Presence

Appearance/Costume

Applications are reviewed by a rotating anonymous panel and acts are selected based on scoring.

You must submit a video of the exact act you are submitting to the festival with a YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Drive link set to public with no password protection or set to anyone with the link can view, so our whole viewing committee has access. Videos do not need to be professionally shot, but should clearly showcase your the full content of your act, costume, and stage presence. Videos presented in landscape orientation are preferred. There is a 5 minute time limit on acts. Your video submission may be up to 6 minutes, but you will be asked to trim your act to 5 minutes or less.

Feature performers for this year's festival will be selected from the applications based on scoring. Featured performers will perform 2 acts in the festival, have the opportunity to teach a class on Saturday, and have their image used to represent this year's event on promotional materials. To be considered for a feature spot, 2 acts must be submitted, and the performer must be available to perform in 2 nights of the festival.