The fourth annual Masq(p)arade! performance progressive is seeking entries for the entertainment event that will take place at the Pianos on State painted pianos, 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18.

Organizers are seeking Santa Barbara-area musicians, performers, and performance groups to entertain in a series of bite-sized shows along State Street in the Santa Barbara’s Historic Arts District.

Accompanied by a masked man playing one of the Pianos on State Street, Masq(p)arade! entertainers sing to the music on a State Street corner. (Courtesy photo)
The fourth annual Masq(p)arade! will be Friday, Oct. 18 in downtown Santa Barbara. (Courtesy photo)

Acts must be piano-based and incorporate whimsical masks. A small honorarium will be paid to artists selected to perform.

Applications are now open and open and the submission deadline is Sept. 6. For details and entry form, visit www.masqparade.org.

Masq(p)arade! serves as a grand finale of Pianos on State, the annual painted piano project that will be on display throughout Santa Barbara Oct. 1-20.

Each Masq(p)arade! performance lasts 15 minutes, with enough time between acts to advance up State Street to each piano to catch the next act.

Conceived in 2021 as an interactive complement to Pianos on State and as a means of fostering connection as the community began to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, the progressive performing arts showcase became a Santa Barbara tradition.

“Masq(p)arade! is about expecting the unexpected,” said Casey Caldwell, executive director of the Santa Barbara Arts Collaborative, about the pop-up nature of the event.

Past performers include Brasscals!, Opera Santa Barbara, Out of the Box Theatre Company, and Teen Star winner and American Idol contestant Jackson Gillies.