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- Polar Bear Dip. January 1, 2010. The Flora-Bama Lounge at the Florida-Alabama line hosts this popular, annual splash-around in the Gulf of Mexico.
(850) 492-0611, www.florabama.com.
- Pensacola Beach Run. Jan. 5. Jan. 16. A 5K, 10K and half-marathon course race winds along the waterfront on beautiful Pensacola Beach with a post race party at Capt’n Fun Beach Club. www.pensacolarunners.com
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- Mardi Gras. Feb. 12-14. One of the country’s original celebration sites, Pensacola hosts family-oriented Mardi Gras fun at numerous parades with lots of beads and moonpies. (850) 436-7638, www.pensacolamardigras.com.
- Pensacola Double Bridge Run. Feb. 6. A 15K course takes runners over two bridges crossing Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound, from Downtown Pensacola to Pensacola Beach. Runners and walkers are also welcome at the 5K course and Kids Fun Run. (850) 434-2800, www.pensacolasports.com.
- Black History Month. Throughout Feb. Celebrate African-American history.
Call the African-American Heritage Society, (850) 469-1299, www.africanamericanheritagesociety.org.
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- Gulf Coast Renaissance Faire. March 6-7. Step back to the days of old with jousting exhibitions, falconry, medieval musicians, jesters, jugglers, fire breathers, belly dancers, bagpipers and more. (877) 429-8462, www.gcrf.net.
- Gallery Night. March 19. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown
art galleries open 5-9 p.m., sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. (850) 432-9906, www.artsnwfl.org.
- McGuire’s Irish Pub St. Patty’s Day 5K Prediction Run. March 13. With more than 5,000 participants, it is Pensacola’s largest run and the nation’s largest prediction run. Awards go to the fastest as well as the most accurate in predicting the time it will take to complete the course. (850) 433-6789, www.mcguiresirishpub.com
- Beulah Sausage Festival. March 19-21. Enjoy some of Nashville’s hottest country music stars, arts and crafts, carnival-style rides and of course, great sausage. (850) 944-3167, www.beulahsausagefest.com.
- Festival on the Green. March 26-27. University of West Florida’s annual spring event features a fine arts and crafts show, dog agility showcase, live music, sporting events, food and a children’s fair. (850) 474-2610, www.uwf.edu/festival.
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- Pensacola Wine Festival. April 10. Sample more than 100 wines from around the world while Pensacola’s top restaurants lead cooking demonstrations. (850) 434-5371, http://www.pensacolawinefestival.com.
- Pensacola JazzFest. April 10-11. Pensacola’s historic Seville Square hosts an event filled with great jazz performed by local and national talents. (850) 433-8382, http://www.jazzpensacola.com.
- Pensacola Community Soulfest. April 10. Enjoy great soul music at this annual event held 10 a.m. to dusk in the West Pensacola Ballpark. (850) 438-4882.
- White Sands Music Festival. April 15-17. Featuring food, arts and crafts vendors
and non-stop jam sessions in the Farmer’s Opry House campground, the White Sands Music Festival prides itself on being good family fun. (850) 994-6000, www.farmersopry.com.
- Mullet Man Triathalon. April 17. Push yourself to the limit on this scenic and exhilarating course. (850) 429-0611, www.florabama.com
- Crawfish Festival on Portofino Boardwalk. TBD. Have fun in the sun with a ton of crawfish and live music throughout the weekend. (850) 932-1500, www.visitpensacolabeach.com.
- 26th Annual Interstate Mullet Toss. April 23-25. Perdido Key’s Flora-Bama Lounge on the Florida-Alabama state line hosts this wacky annual tournament that has participants compete in tossing an actual mullet. Live music, food and drinks. (850) 492-0611, www.florabama.com.
- Goombay Gulf Coast. April 24. Feel the rhythm of some of the best regional and international reggae, calypso, steel drum bands and Caribbean music around, plus stilt-walkers, African dance and drum presentations, and a variety of activities. (850) 207-0206, www.goombaygulfcoast.com.
- 26th Annual Pensacola Crawfish Fiesta. April 30 - May 2. Held in historic Bartram Park, indulge at one of the largest crawfish boils in Florida. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org.
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- Fiesta 5K May 1. Get into shape this spring, with this fun 5K in Downtown Pensacola. www.pensacolarunners.com
- Cox and Fiesta Children's Treasure Hunt May 15. Bayview Park, East Hill. Free. Children 10 and under hunt for toys and treasure while learning about Pensacola’s rich history. Hunt begins at 2 p.m. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org
- 7th Annual Outside Art Fair. May 15-16. Celebrate the warm spring weather with nearly 100 local artists, live entertainment, good food and children’s activities at Bartram Park. (850) 432-9906, www.artsnwfl.org.
- Gallery Night. May 21. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m., sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. (850) 432-9906, www.artsnwfl.org.
- Evenings in Olde Seville Square. Thursdays May-Aug. This well-attended summer concert series in Seville Square features a variety of musical styles from big band to jazz and from Broadway to modern dance. (850) 438-6505.
- Bands on the Beach . Tuesdays May-Oct. The beach’s favorite summer evening concert series with local musical favorites playing at the Gulfside Pavilion. (850) 932-2257, www.visitpensacolabeach.com.
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- Fiesta Days Celebration and Boat Parade. June 3-12. This annual event celebrates the founding of Pensacola, the first European settlement in the U.S., in 1559 by Spanish Conquistador Don Tristan de Luna. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org.
- Shallow Water Slam. June 26. Redfish, flounder and speckled trout are the game in this tournament. Take-off and weigh-in will be at Flounder’s Chowder House on Pensacola Beach. (850) 393-1602, www.pensacolakingmack.com
- Bud Light King Mackerel/Cobia Tournament. June 26. See some of the biggest king mackerel and cobia caught at the largest two-day boat event in the Gulf of Mexico. For more information visit www.pensacolakingmack.com.
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- 40th annual Pensacola International Billfish Tournament. June 30-July 4. The Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club hosts one of the country's largest billfish tournaments at NAS Pensacola, which attracts around 600 anglers from all over the Southeast. (850) 453-4638, www.pbgfc.com.
- 4th of July Celebration. July 4. This family-oriented, patriotic event is the largest 4th of July celebration on the Gulf Coast. www.pensacolasertomajuly4th.org.
- Ronald McDonald Firecracker 5K. July 4. (850) 477-2273, www.rmhpensacola.org
- Gallery Night. July 9. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m., sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. (850) 432-9906, www.artsnwfl.org.
- Pensacola Beach Air Show. TBD. This must-see event features a show by the world-famous Blue Angels. (850) 932-2257, www.visitpensacolabeach.com.
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- Thunder on the Gulf Power Boat Races. TBD. More than 40 boats compete at speeds up to 170 mph at this Perdido Key area event. (251) 980-7223, www.thunderonthegulf.com.
- Bushwacker Festival and 5K. TBD. This festival is centered around Pensacola’s favorite adult beverage: the milk chocolately bushwacker. Enjoy a fun run and a celebration on the boardwalk. (850) 232-0931, www.captnfun.net
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- Jamaican Fest. Sept. 3-5. Featuring live music, The Kids Zone, sidewalk sale and the “Anything that Floats” race in the Santa Rosa Sound. Portofino Boardwalk. (850) 932-1500, www.visitpensacolabeach.com.
- Gallery Night. Sept 17. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m., sponsored by the Arts Council of Northwest Florida. (850) 432-9906, www.artsnwfl.org.
- Pensacola Seafood Festival. Sept. 24-26. Sample a variety of mouth-watering seafood dishes, enjoy continuous live entertainment, shop at the many arts and crafts vendors and participate in a 5K. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org.
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- Santa Rosa Island Triathlon. October 2. A spring triathlon along Pensacola Beach. (850) 380-0741, www.sritri.org
- 20th Annual Pensacola Interstate Fair. Oct. 21-31. The Fair features big-name entertainment in addition to games, rides, agricultural and education-oriented exhibits and displays. (850) 944-4500, www.pensacolafair.com.
- Annual Historic Haunted House Walking Tours. Oct. 15-16, 22-23. A family favorite for Halloween, the narrated tours are led by costumed guides, visiting more than 50 different sites around the historic districts. (850) 433-1559, www.pensacolahistory.org.
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- 16th Annual Old Farmhouse Christmas Arts, Crafts and Antiques Show. Nov. 5-7. Enjoy live music and holiday shopping with more than 100 vendors featuring everything from pottery to water fountains to antiques and baked goods. Cow tour on hay rides available each day. Pony rides available Sat. and Sun. (850) 492-7502.
- Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show. TBD. With Pensacola as its home base, the Blue Angels perform the season’s final show at Naval Air Station Pensacola. (850) 452-2583, www.blueangels.navy.mil.
- Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival. TBD. Musicians from across the world bring music to the Gulf Coast. (850) 492-7664, www.fbisf.com.
- Greek Festival. TBD. Traditional Greek dances, gifts, entertainment and dishes such as baklava, gyros and spanakopeta. (850) 433-2662, www.annunciationgoc.org.
- Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. Nov. 5-7. Browse more than 200 fine art and hand made craft exhibitors from around the country in Pensacola’s historic Seville Square. www.ggaf.org.
- Pensacola Marathon. Nov. 14. This 26.2-mile scenic USATF-certified course is one of the last Boston Marathon Qualifiers in the Southeast. The course begins and ends in Historic Downtown Pensacola and winds along Pensacola Bay. (850) 435-9222, www.pensacolamarathon.com.
- Marketbasket. Nov. 19-21. It’s a holiday shopping extravaganza at the Pensacola Civic Center. The Junior League of Pensacola’s fund-raiser hosts merchants from the Southeast with an array of specialty items. (850) 433-4421.
- Creek Indian Tribe Indian Day Celebration. Nov. 20-21. An annual Creek pow-wow in Pace featuring Native American dances, traditional food dishes and Native American vendors with authentic crafts. (850) 994-4882.
- Martini Festival. Nov. 26. Live music and martini sampling at the JellyFish Bar in Perdido Key. (850) 332–6532, www.jellyfishbar.com.
- Winterfest Trolley Tours. Nov. 26, Dec. 4, 10, 17-24. Trolleys act as theaters taking passengers to a series of interactive performances along a two-mile route in Historic Downtown Pensacola. (850) 435-0914, www.pensacolawinterfest.org.
- Gallery Night. Nov. 19. Jump start the holiday season with an evening of arts and culture in the downtown art galleries, open 5-9 p.m. (850) 432-9906, www.artsnwfl.org.
- Holiday Evening in Olde Seville Square. TBD. An all-holiday music concert featuring great local music, caroling and a special reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” (850) 438-6505.
- Veteran’s Day Run and Walk. TBD
- Seville Quarter Turkey Trot. TBD
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- Annual Snowball Derby. Dec. 2-5. Auto racing fans will delight in the action at Five Flags Speedway. (850) 944-8400, www.fiveflagsspeedway.com.
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