Gem State Burlesque Festival

We got a beautiful total of 105 submissions for the VERY FIRST Gem State Burlesque Festival! 🍾✨ Our team is SO excited to review these gorgeous acts of yours! Acceptance emails go out by May 20th, keep an eye on your inboxes and we will sparkle with you soon! #GSBF #GemStateFest #burlesqueinboise

Applications for the 2026 GEM State Burlesque Festival are now officially closed! We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming number of applications from performers who trusted our brand new festival with their art! Thank you for taking the risk, pressing submit, and letting us see your work. Our evaluation team is looking forward to giving each submission the time and care it deserves. All applicants will be notified by 5/20. With appreciation, The Gem State Burlesque Festival Team

WHERE is Gem State Burlesque Festival located? Our city, the beautiful Boise, ID! Boise is nestled in the southwest region of Idaho, in what locals call the “Treasure Valley” (and for good reason)! Surrounded by gorgeous mountains and with the Boise River running directly through the heart of the city, this little sweet spot is a thriving hub of life! The views are never ending, the nightlife is thriving, and the art is what we’re here for! Our local lgbtqia+ community is essential and foremost to the arts here, and we all fight for freedom, equality, and expression ‘round these parts. (Yes, y’all, even in Idaho!) All this to say, we are honored to celebrate YOUR art through the inaugural Gem State Burlesque Festival! Come join us, because YOU, yes YOU are welcome to Boise, Idaho! Applications close TONIGHT! Don’t miss out, and see you soon!✨ #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque

Want to know who’s behind the scenes at @gemstateburlesque ??? Well, here’s a little peek at our production team! @vera_holiday @lucy.la.peche @stella_sin @selmasapphire @mariposa_devine Our collective includes national champions, local powerhouses, international showgirls, title holders and rising stars! Come see what burlesque MAGIC we create here in Boise Idaho! Get those applications in - you have until TONIGHT and 11:59 PM PST !!! #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque

We are THRILLED to be bringing our inaugural festival to the beautiful and historic @boiseegyptian in the heart of downtown Boise! Take a look at this incredible space! You have until tomorrow night, 4/30 at midnight PST to submit your applications to perform at this ICONIC venue here in the city of trees! (That’s Boise, Idaho for the un-initiated!) If you are looking forward to attending the festival, the tickets will be on sale SOON, so stay tuned for more announcements! #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque

ATTENTION! You have just under 2 days left to get those applications in… and we have 1 more EXCITING announcement to make! @jezebelexpress will be joining us as our final headlining performer! Jezebel Express is an internationally celebrated burlesque performer known for her quick wit and spectacular shimmy-shaking performances. She has traveled the world performing (favorite stops include Iceland and Prague!) and is currently on tour attempting to dance in all fifty United States, driving her self-converted skoolie from town to town and spreading glamour everywhere she goes! Jezebel founded the burlesque scene in the Canadian province of Newfoundland in the early 2000s before spending over a decade dancing in New York City’s burlesque scene and serving as a core faculty member at the New York School of Burlesque. She has been named one of Burlesque’s Top 50 several times, and founded the Burlesque Top 50 “Ones To Watch” initiative, which encourages burlesque’s most influential performers to raise others into the spotlight and celebrate them. Jezebel has been featured in the New York Times. on Good Morning America, and can be seen on the silver screen in the documentary Getting Naked and the Czech film Burlesk. She is, to her knowledge, the only fat woman to have ever performed a full burlesque striptease on the runway at New York Fashion Week. “She’s Got Curves In Places Other People Don’t Even Have Places!” We are THRILLED to have Jezebel joining us at the @gemstateburlesque Festival along with @cubanmissilecrisis and @thesamsonnight Get those applications in and keep a lookout in your emails! Notifications will be out between 5/15-5/20! #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque

Calling all performers! We want to know: what do you value most in a festival experience? What makes you feel seen, supported, and excited to come back? Sound off in the comments below, nothing is off limits! #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque

ANNOUNCEMENT!!! We’re extending our application deadline to 4/30!!! You still have until 4/15 to submit at our standard rate—but if you need a little extra time, we’ve got you covered. Our late application window is coming in hot, just for you. From 4/16–4/30, the late application fee will be $25 (BIPOC performers can still submit their first act for free). Get those applications in and come party with us in the Gem State! #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque

Boise burlesque was shaped by the artists who dared to go bigger, push harder, and to be unapologetically themselves - even in the face of adversity and censorship. This photo features just a few of the foundational forces who shaped our scene and kept it moving forward — @stella_sin @bobbi__marie @frankie_anne_mcdonald @muffjoness @mimimashuga and @lilianstardust captured at Femme Von Follies in 2023. This is the lineage. This is the standard. Inspired by legends, carried by icons, and always evolving. These humans, and many more, laid the ground work and built the scene that made our little festival possible, and we are feeling very grateful for all of their work today. ❤️

It’s finally time to meet our first HEADLINER and we are beyond excited! @thesamsonnight will be joining us for an unforgettable weekend this September here in the Gem state! Samson Night is a cross genre artist with over 25 years of professional experience in the businesses of TV/ Film, Broadway, Voice Over, Commercials and Print. Samson was crowned Miss Exotic World- Queen of Burlesque at the M-Exotic World competition of The Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender in 2023 as well as Most Innovative. He has been featured in the Top 10 of the “50 Most Influential Burlesque Performers” worldwide, is the title holder of “Queen Of The Roses” at the Oregon Burlesque Festival, winner of “Best Group” at Arizona Burlesque Festival and “Best Small Group” at BHoF with his partner Margo Mayhem. He was voted Entertainer of The Year by White Elephant Burlesque and has served as closer for The New York burlesque Festival. Samson has been featured in The New York Times, on the cover of An Occasional Man and has headlined festivals around the country and internationally. He is 1/3 of the producing team: Bawdy Suit with Faggedy Randy and P.NoNoire. Samson will perform both nights of the festival and will be teaching during the weekend. Prepare to be charmed and get those applications in for the inaugural Gem State Burlesque Festival! Applications are open now until 4/15! Tickets and more announcements will be coming soon, so give us a follow and check back often for updates!

We’re thrilled to announce that GSBF performer applications are now open!!! First applications are free for BIPOC performers, and early bird/ additional applications are available for $15 through March 15. Find all the details at the link in our bio, and stay tuned for upcoming website updates! #burlesquefestival #burlesk

Meet your Master of Ceremonies! @cubanmissilecrisis The Gem State Burlesque Festival is thrilled to welcome Tito Bonito to Boise this September!!! Tito is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis of burlesque — dazzling, unforgettable, and devastatingly charming. Tito sets the tone for a weekend of world-class burlesque and unforgettable connections here in the gem state, will you join us, too? Applications open 2/28 - 4/15 If you’ve been waiting for a sign — this is it! September 25 & 26, 2026 Boise, Idaho Applications go live at gemstateburlesquefestival.com on 2/28! #GSBF #GemStateFest #BoiseBurlesque