Day 1 of the Miss America 2027 pageant saw the 52 contestants gather in West Palm Beach on Saturday, Aug. 29, for the opening ceremony as the weeklong event comes to South Florida for the first time.
The pageant features 52 contestants, one from each state as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, all of them between the ages of 18 and 28. They are competing for a $50,000 scholarship and an honor first awarded in 1921 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The event schedule begins in earnest on Monday, Aug. 31, with the winner revealed at a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The pageant will call West Palm Beach its home for the next three years, with its events split between the convention center and the Kravis
Center for the Performing Arts.
Its younger sibling, Miss America's Teen, also will have its pageant in West Palm Beach during those years. Its finale is Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Kravis Center.
Contestants in Miss America's Teen are between the ages of 13 and 18.
A look inside Miss America 2027's opening ceremonies in West Palm
Contestants on Aug. 29 heard words of welcome from Miss America CEO Robin Fleming; Milton Segarra, CEO of Discover the Palm Beaches, the county's tourism promotion agency; and Keith James, the mayor of West Palm Beach.
The 52 women introduced themselves and spoke of their community service work. One by one, each received their competition sash for the week. The sash is usually black but this year has been given a new navy blue color to honor the 250th birthday of the nation.
The 2027 Miss America pageant schedule
- Monday, Aug. 31: Arrival Ceremony, Hilton West Palm Beach, 600 Okeechobee Blvd., 3:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: Miss America's Teen Preliminary Competition, Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 2: Miss America Preliminary Competition, Kravis Center, 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 3: Miss America's Got Talent Competition, Kravis Center, 5 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 4: Pre-Gala Red Carpet, Palm Beach County Convention Center, 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 5: Miss America's Teen Final, Kravis Center, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 6: Miss America Final, Palm Beach County Convention Center, 7 p.m.
The pageant called Atlantic City its home for decades before moving to locations such as Las Vegas and Florida. Last year, it took place at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando.
Its events will be livestreamed on pageantvision.tv.
Arianna Otero covers breaking news for the Palm Beach Post. Contact her via email at AOtero@pbpost.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero. Thomas Cordy is a visual journalist for The Palm Beach Post.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miss America in West Palm: Highlights from Saturday's opening ceremony
