Pensacola Beach Blue Angels Air Show
This is one of the busiest and most exciting weekends on Pensacola Beach so make your beachfront hotel reservations early. The Gulf front balconies at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front Hotel, Hampton Inn Hotel and Holiday Inn Resort Hotel on Pensacola Beach are the best place to watch the air show. For an interview with a Blue Angel pilot about how they get chosen to participate and train for this big day read our Toes in the Sand blog.
Gallery Nights in Downtown Pensacola
This popular event takes place multiple times a year in historic Downtown Pensacola, Florida. Join the crowds and stroll through the charming brick walkways and historic streets and enjoy an eclectic array of music, art and food as the energy of the evening carries you from venue to venue.
Bands on Pensacola Beach
There are free concerts every Tuesday evening between May and October at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach, a five minute ‘toes in the sand’ walk from the beachfront hotels. The concerts feature a wide variety of popular regional musicians and bands. Bring a lawn chair, blanket and cocktails in a cooler if you wish. You can read about Bands on the Beach on Toes in the Sand Blog.
Pensacola Beach Mardi Gras
Pensacola Beach hosts one of the best family oriented Mardi Gras celebrations in the south. Visiting during Mardi Gras will create lasting Florida beach vacation memories.
Go Irish on the Island St. Paddies Day Celebrations
On Pensacola Beach St. Paddy day celebrations last a week. Events include a green bikini contest, pot o’ gold poker tourney, a re-enactment of Tim Finnegan’s wake, Catholic beachfront Mass and lots of parties with live music and fine Irish fare. The highlight of the celebration is always the St. Paddy’s Day pub crawl on March 17th which visits eighteen Pensacola Beach bars and restaurants.
Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival
A week of live, original concerts in multiple Pensacola Beach venues.
Pensacola Jazz Fest
Pensacola’s historic Seville Square hosts a multi-day event featuring great jazz performed by local and national talents.
Sounds of Summer
Free concert series most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between May and September at the Quietwater Band Shell on the sound side boardwalk in Pensacola Beach.
Crawfish Festival
Three fun filled days on the waterfront in downtown Pensacola’s Bartram Park. One of the biggest crawfish boils in the state of Florida.
Bushwacker Festival
This festival takes place on Pensacola Beach the first weekend in August and is centered around Pensacola’s favorite adult beverage. If you like a rowdy good time this festival is for you.
Jamaican Fest
This event takes place on Labor Day weekend on Pensacola Beach and is sponsored by the Bamboo Willlies, an iconic local bar. The best things about this festival is great live music and the Anything that Floats race.
Pensacola Seafood Festival
Quality seafood, live music and a large variety of arts and crafts vendors in downtown Pensacola.
Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show
In November the Blue Angels perform the season’s final show at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola.
Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival
Every November well known and emerging musicians from across the world perform in a variety of venues between Pensacola and Gulf Shores.
Lighted Boat Parade
Every December festive boats parade by Portofino Boardwalk in Pensacola Beach to officially deliver Santa Claus to Santa Rosa Island.
Surfing Santa Beach Parade
Holiday floats wind their way down Santa Rosa Island’s main street sharing candy, beads and trinkets. Santa oversees the festivities from high atop his bright red fire engine. The parade winds up at the Gulfside Pavilion where Santa visits with children.
Pelican Drop
On New Years Eve in downtown Pensacola families can enjoy an all ages street-party with live music, a children’s area and activities and fireworks. A 10-foot tall, half-ton illuminated pelican is dropped 100 feet at midnight
New Years Day Polar Bear Plunge
Takes place at 2pm at the super funky Paradise Bar and Grill soundside in Pensacola Beach.
There are numerous yearly runs that take advantage of the flat ground, warm water and beautiful setting in the Pensacola Bay and Pensacola Beach areas. Some of the most popular are the Pensacola Marathon, Pensacola Double Bridge Run, Santa Rosa Island Triathlon and McGuires 5km Prediction Run. Read our Toes in the Sand Blog to get inspired by Millie the Gulf Coast triathlete.