Events
January
Polar Bear Dip
Held New Year’s Day
850-492-6838
The Flora-Bama Lounge on
the Florida-Alabama state line on Perdido Key hosts this popular, annual
splash-around in the Gulf of Mexico. Afterwards, everyone joins in a Southern
tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day and warms up with good
music and beverages.
Mardi Gras
Held early January until
Fat Tuesday
850-434-6211 or
800-874-1299
Call for a complete
schedule of events
One of the country’s
original celebration sites, Pensacola hosts family-oriented Mardi Gras fun at
numerous parades, where crowds catch beads and moon pies tossed from floats, as
well as various contests and culinary festivals.
February
Black History Month
Held throughout February
850-474-2405
Celebrate the evolution of
African-American history at several area events including a black history
recital and concert at the University of West Florida with music performed by
the UWF Gospel Choir.
March
Pensacola Bay
International Film & Television Festival
Usually held mid-March
850-435-6851
Call for exact dates and
schedule
Four days of great films,
symposiums, parties, awards, and plenty of glitz and glamour.
Gallery Night
Usually held in mid-March
850-432-9906
Admission Free
Enjoy an evening of arts
and culture by touring downtown art galleries open late for this quarterly
event, sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. Trolley stops along
the way provide free transportation.
April
Pensacola JazzFest
Usually held in early April
850-433-8382
Admission Free
Pensacola’s historic
Seville Square hosts this event filled with great jazz music performed by local
and national talents.
Blue Angels Classic
Senior PGA Tournament
Usually held in mid-April
850-995-3300
The best players on the
senior tour congregate at The Moors, a par-70 Scottish links-style course in
Milton, Fla., five minutes east of Pensacola on Interstate 10.
Interstate Mullet Toss
Usually held the third week
of April
850-492-6838
Call for additional
information
The Flora-Bama Lounge on
the Florida-Alabama state line hosts this wacky annual tournament that has
participants compete in an actual mullet toss. Live music, food, and drinks
accompany this weekend.
June
The Florida Springfest
Usually held mid-June
800-874-1234
Call for additional
information
This two-day musical
celebration draws national headliner musical groups and thousands of people to
downtown Pensacola.
Fiesta Days Celebration
and Boat Parade
Usually held early June
850-433-6512
Admission Free
The Fiesta of Five Flags is
an annual celebration of the founding of Pensacola, the first European
settlement in the United States in 1559 by Spanish Conquistador, Don Tristan de
Luna.
Bud Light King
Mackeral/Cobia Tournament
Usually held the later part
of June
850-932-5726
Catch some of the largest
King Mackerel and Cobia in the gulf. With over 1,200 anglers, this is a very
large two-day boat event taking place in the Gulf of Mexico. Prize money and
gifts are awarded.
July
Red, White, and Blues
Week
Held around the 4th
of July for one full week
850-932-1500
Admission Free
A big event held during
Pensacola’s summer festivities; Red, White, and Blues week starts with a
fireworks display on the Fourth of July. There is live music on the boardwalk
each day and most nights. Festivities conclude with the world-famous Blue Angels
flight show. Supported by civilian and military performers, the show is a
must-see event.
Gallery Night
Usually held in mid-July
850-432-9906
Admission Free
Enjoy an evening of arts
and culture by touring downtown art galleries open late for this quarterly
event, sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. Trolley stops along
the way provide free transportation.
August
Thunder On the Gulf
Power Boat Races
Usually held in mid-August
Annual Super Boat Grand
Prix on the Gulf Coast is held in the Perdido Key area. See over 40 boats
compete at speeds up to 170 mph.
September
Pensacola Seafood
Festival
Usually held around the
third week of September
850-434-6211
Held in the Seville Square
area of historic downtown Pensacola, the festival features delicious fare and
live entertainment.
October
Pensacola Interstate Fair
Pensacola Fairgrounds
U.S. Highway 90 West
Held each October
850-944-4500
Admission Charged
Pensacola Interstate Fair
offers entertainment, rides, food and exhibits for 11 days every October. Fun
for the family. The Pensacola Interstate Fair is a star-spangled parade of
exhibits and features arranged and planned for everyone's supreme satisfaction!
Haunted House Walking
Tours and Trolley Tours
Usually held in late
October
850-433-1559
Admission Charged
Narrated tours led by
costumed guides visit 39 sites around the Seville and North Hill historic
districts where ghostly sightings are researched and documented by the Pensacola
Historical Society.
November
Blue Angels Homecoming
Air Show
Pensacola Naval Air Station
Usually held the second
week of November
850-452-BLUE
Admission Free
With Pensacola as its home
base, the Navy’s precision flight-demonstration team, the Blue Angels, performs
two air shows in the area each year.
Gallery Night
Usually held in
mid-November
850-432-9906
Admission Free
Enjoy an evening of arts
and culture by touring downtown art galleries open late for this quarterly
event, sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. Trolley stops along
the way provide free transportation.
Great Gulf Coast Arts
Festival
Usually held in early
November
850-432-9906
Admission Free
The Great Gulf Coast Arts
Festival hosts more than 200 fine art and craft exhibitors from around the
country and attracts 150,000 art fans to Pensacola’s historic Seville Square.
Also features activity-packed children’s arts area and live entertainment on
several stages.
The Frank Brown
International Songwriter’s Festival
Usually held in
mid-November
850-492-7664
This annual event held at
several Perdido Key and Pensacola venues, features songwriters from throughout
the country who showcase their talent in a competition atmosphere.
December
St. Anne’s Christmas
Lights
Held Thanksgiving through
New Year’s Day
850-456-5966
Admission Free, Donation
for Parking
Over a million lights
illuminate the church grounds in a spectacular display that also features free
refreshments.
ZOOLights
Held Thanksgiving
throughout New Year’s Day
850-932-2229
Admission Charged
The ZOO in Gulf Breeze
hosts this event with holiday and animal scenes decorated with more than a
million lights. Nightly entertainment rounds out the fun.
Christmas on the Island
Usually held early December
800-635-4803
Celebrate Pensacola Beach’s
holiday spirit with a land parade followed by a boat parade along Santa Rosa
Sound.
Arts and Entertainment
The Pensacola Opera
75 South Tarragona Street
Pensacola, FL 32501
850-433-6737
Hours: Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM
The Pensacola Symphony
205 E. Zaragoza Street
Pensacola, FL 32502
850-435-2533
Season runs October – May,
call for additional information
Theater
Center for the Fine and
Performing Arts
University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514
850-474-2000
Season runs October –
April, call for additional information
Pensacola Little Theatre
400 South Jefferson Street
Pensacola, Florida 32502
850-432-2042
Season begins in September,
call for additional information
Saenger Theatre
118 South Palafox Place
Pensacola, Florida 32501
850-444-7699
Call for additional
information
Since 1925, the theatre has
had a major presence in Pensacola. From Vaudeville to Broadway, it has hosted
it all. Whether its music, a Broadway play or an individual performance, this
“grand dame” has it all.
Sports
Five Flags Speedway
7451 Pine Forest Road
Pensacola, FL 32526
850-944-8400
Pensacola Greyhound Track offers live
racing excitement and simulcast horse racing events.
Catch the thrill of
high-speed action-packed greyhound racing. Join the fun in the fully-enclosed,
climate-controlled Kennel Club, Lounge, or Grandstand-- or enjoy rail side
seating outdoors for a close-up look at the excitement!
The
Pensacola Ice Pilots (East Coast Hockey
League)
Play in the Pensacola Civic
Center
Season is fall and winter
201 East Gregory Street -
Rear
Pensacola, FL 32502-4956
850-432-PUCK (7825)
The
Pensacola Pelicans
Play at the University of
West Florida
Season is from June through
August
850-934-8444
The
Pensacola Power is part of the National
Women's Football Association. The Power have won multiple championships.
