Skip to content

Spring into Pensacola’s exciting festival season!

Without a doubt, spring is the best time of the year to visit Pensacola. Some of the reasons are obvious: The weather is absolutely gorgeous, perfect for enjoying the outdoors, surf, sand, window shopping, dining al fresco and open-air markets, while school is still in session, so traffic isn’t quite as heavy as it is in the summer months.

But beyond the obvious, spring is festival season in Pensacola, and the calendar is packed with signature events and annual traditions that make the season an even more special time for visitors and locals alike. Take a look at some of the area’s most treasured celebrations, and make your plans now to join in on these unique and memorable occasions.

Blue Angels Practices

Pensacola is the home of the U.S. Navy’s elite flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, and we are lucky to see the iconic blue-and-gold jets soaring through our skies on a regular basis. Viewing the team’s practice sessions is a springtime ritual for locals and visitors alike, as the pilots spend about an hour in the air several times a month from the end of March through the end of October, practicing for shows around the country, as well as the two annual air shows presented right here in Pensacola.

The best place to view a practice is from the National Naval Aviation Museum aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola. Unfortunately, access is limited to current Department of Defense ID cardholders (active-duty service members, retirees, and their families), but if you know a DoD ID card holder, they can escort you as a guest.

For those who don’t have access, some choice viewing locations include the Walmart or Target parking lots on Blue Angel Parkway, Navy Point Park or historic Fort Pickens — itself a must-see landmark for any Pensacola visitor. For practice schedules and more information, click here.

Bands on the Beach

Tuesday nights, live music comes to the Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach on Pensacola Beach. Beneath the iconic beach ball water tower, Bands on the Beach brings a wide variety of regional acts to the stage, April 4 through Oct. 31. Bring along your lawn chairs or blankets, but don’t be surprised if you end up spending the evening on your feet, dancing your cares away as the sun sets on the world’s most beautiful beaches.

Music starts at 7 p.m. each Tuesday, weather permitting. There is no charge to attend, but pets and glass containers are prohibited. You are welcome to bring your own food and drink, but there are also numerous delicious options available right on Pensacola Beach. For a complete band schedule and more information, click here.

Check out the 2023 bands

Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Nothing says springtime like the Great American Pastime, and Pensacola is gearing up for another great season of Double-A baseball as the hometown Blue Wahoos return to Admiral Fetterman Field in downtown’s scenic Community Maritime Park. The Wahoos are the Southern League affiliate of the Miami Marlins, and their home opener is set for April 7, with games continuing through Sept. 17 — or even further, if the team makes it to post-season play (a real possibility for the defending Southern League champs!).

Of course, the on-field action is only part of the reason to take your family to the ball game. Blue Wahoos Stadium has been named the Southern League Ballpark of the Year three times, and is known for having the best view in Double-A ball, overlooking Pensacola Bay. And the concessions are top-notch, going far beyond standard ballpark fare to include Southwestern, seafood, Greek and diner fare, among other options. Some options are even available for delivery directly to your seats! For tickets, schedules and more information, click here.

Pensacola Crawfish Festival

You may know them as crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs or by some other nickname, but crawfish season is always a cause for celebration in Pensacola, and you’ll definitely get your fill at the 38th annual Pensacola Crawfish Festival, set for April 28-30 in Pensacola’s historic district. Encompassing Olde Seville Square and neighboring Fountain Park, this three-day festival features the area’s largest crawfish boil, with Cordova Crawfish Company serving up thousands of pounds worth. Other Cajun cuisine includes boudin, jambalaya, etouffee, gumbo and fresh and fried seafood. But if that’s not to your taste, plenty of other festival food fare is available, as well as lots of desserts.

The Crawfish Festival also features plenty of live entertainment, with a focus on Cajun musical styles. Performers this year include Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Gregg Martinez & the Delta Kings and Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble. The weekend also features a fantastic arts and crafts show.

Daily admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 6-12, and free for ages 5 and younger. For more information, click here.

Flora-Bama Interstate Mullet Toss

It’s about the most uniquely Pensacola tradition imaginable: Each year at the end of April, thousands of people gather on the white sandy beaches of Perdido Key behind the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge to toss mullet across the state line from Florida into Alabama. No, we’re not talking hairdos here, we’re talking fish.

Set for April 28-30, the Flora-Bama Interstate Mullet Toss is really an excuse for one of the greatest beach parties ever seen on the Gulf Coast, and if flinging fish doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, don’t worry — there’s plenty more to enjoy at the iconic roadhouse during this event, including food from three great restaurants, signature cocktails including the frosty Bushwacker and tons of live music across five stages. Watching the fish fly is entertainment unto itself, too, and maybe you’ll find yourself getting into the spirit and tossing a few — entry fees over the years have raised tens of thousands of dollars for local youth charities.

Daily admission is $10 for ages 21 and older, $15 for ages 16-20, and free for ages 15 and younger. Those younger than 21 are welcome until 6 p.m. only. For more information, click here.

Fiesta Pensacola

As the spring winds down and the summer heats up, Pensacola celebrates its heritage and history with a series of events presented by Fiesta Pensacola. Honoring the various cultures whose flags have flown over America’s oldest city, the fun starts on May 31 with Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon Fiesta Days Celebration at downtown’s legendary Seville Quarter entertainment complex. Local dignitaries surrender the city to DeLuna (a masked figure representing the historical Don Tristan de Luna y Arellano, the 16th Century Spanish explorer who founded Pensacola) at this party featuring themed rooms and food and entertainment. Tickets to Fiesta Days are $40 here.

One of Pensacola’s largest parades follows at 7 p.m. June 2, as the Grand Fiesta Parade is presented by SunFarm Energy on the streets of downtown Pensacola. More than 50 entries include colorful floats packed with bead-throwing krewes, marching units and more. Bring a bag to carry all the swag you’ll catch!

Centennial Imports sponsors the Fiesta Boat Parade at 1 p.m. June 3, as the court and crew parade their vessels across Pensacola Bay, with spectacular views from the Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center, Community Maritime Park and downtown’s Plaza de Luna.

The Fiesta celebration wraps up with two spectacular balls. The Fiesta All Krewe Ball, presented by Step One Automotive Group, takes place at 7 p.m. June 8 at the Hadji Shrine Temple, and features crew performances and pageantry, live entertainment and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are $50, and admission is limited to ages 21 and older. The DeLuna Coronation Ball follows at 7 p.m. June 9 at the Pensacola Bay Center, where DeLuna is unmasked and crowned with dancing and breakfast. For more information on the Fiesta celebrations, click here.

These are just some of the springtime highlights that Pensacola has to offer, so make sure to check Visit Pensacola’s events calendar regularly — there’s never a dull moment!

Julio Diaz

Author

Julio Diaz

Julio Diaz is a freelance journalist with more than 20 years experience covering events, music, movies, food and pop culture, including more than 12 years as Entertainment Editor with the Pensacola News Journal. He is the host of Let’s Go, Pensacola, a weekly entertainment and events show on NewsRadio 92.3; the host of the Pensacola Movie Club; and the curator of the Merrill Movie Museum, one of the country’s most impressive collections of screen-used movie props and memorabilia. Those projects, as well as Pensacola's active nerd culture and hospitality scenes, have made Pensacola his home.
©2023 Visit Pensacola Florida. All Rights Reserved.