Last Updated on November 13, 2024 by Amy Albers
What is Pensacola’s Foo Foo Fest? It’s a twelve-day celebration of arts and culture for all ages. The events are eclectic and encompass many art forms, such as theater, visual art, music, and more! The Foo Foo Festival committee offers grants to assist the arts community in bringing their visions to life. It couldn’t happen at a more perfect time of year, as the fall weather in a southern beach town is divine! I was invited to explore the first few days of Foo Foo Fest 2024 offerings; all opinions are my own.
Featured Foo Foo Festival Events I Attended
The events are spread throughout the Foo Foo Festival, so your experience can differ depending on when you attend.
Pensacola Museum of Art’s 70th-Anniversary Celebration
My husband and I rolled into Pensacola on Halloween, the festival’s first night. What better way to kick it off than a family-friendly block party outside the Pensacola Museum of Art? There were crafts for families, a live band, and food/drink vendors. The museum was free and open to the public for the Foo Foo Festival, so we got to catch the exhibit Celebrate 70: A History of Collecting. The exhibit features unique and critical items in the museum’s collection and notes about preservation and maintenance. I work in a special collection at a public library, so preservation and archival information is always interesting to me!
Eclectic Fidelities at Pensacola State College
The exhibit began in August and extends to December 13th at the Anna Lamar Switzer Center for Visual Arts on PSC’s campus. A collaboration between the college’s visual and performing art departments, it celebrates women in the arts. During Foo Foo, artist Rachel Livedalen discussed her Everything In Its Place exhibit, gave an Artist Lecture, and led two hands-on workshops.
Pensacola Through the Camera
Presented by Pensacola’s Wide Angle Photo Club, this series of lectures offered a new way to view Pensacola through the visual arts. We viewed the entries from the 31st annual Power of Photography contest, and they were gorgeous! Club members revealed that while many were taken with high-end cameras, several photos were shot with cell phones. I couldn’t tell the difference.
The next day, we attended the first lecture in the series, Interpreting Pensacola’s Maps. This may sound like a dry subject to some, but with my background in history and archives, I found it fascinating! Speaker Wesley Odom showed maps of Pensacola through time and shared interesting stories about the city’s history. He was an excellent speaker, and I was happy to attend.
Explore The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation
Sponsored by The University of West Florida Historic Trust, environmental installation artist Konstantin Dimopolous installed his ecological call to action, The Blue Trees: Environmental Installation. The trees along Zaragoza Street between Tarragona and Jefferson Streets and Museum Plaza will transform into an environmental art installation. The participatory installation invites the community to paint and discuss environmental issues. The Blue Trees are meant to raise awareness about deforestation and the importance of trees to all living creatures through an artistic medium.
Additional Featured Foo Foo Festival Events
I admit that the remaining featured events made me want to call in sick and extend my trip. Penarts presented Lizzie: The Musical about, you guessed it, America’s favorite accused axe murderer, Lizzie Borden. I’m so intrigued! The Pensacola Opera performed Carmen: The Traveler, and Fiesta Pensacola hosts The Living Museum: A Trip Through Pensacola’s History. Are you a music lover? Upcoming performances include the Joyful Noise Gospel Celebration, Voctave: The Corner of Broadway & Main Street, Night Moves Music Fest, and Jazz for Justice.
Concurrent Events in Pensacola
While in town for the Foo Foo Festival, take in some other annual staples in Pensacola! While not under the Foo Foo Festival umbrella, these events are fun and contribute to the vacation vibe.
Blue Angels Homecoming Show
Naval Air Station Pensacola is home to the renowned Blue Angels, a flight demonstration squadron formed in 1946. They perform at air shows nationwide but always come home in the fall to show up for Pensacola. This year, the Air Force’s Thunderbirds were special guests. This was a rare treat! The air show is a favorite Pensacola event and a bucket list item for my husband and me. During my dad’s brief turn in the Navy, he was a mechanic for the Blue Angels team, so this show was special for me.
The show is free and open to the public, but get there early as the crowds can be considerable. Coolers are prohibited, and some vendors on-site only take cash. All visitors to NAS Pensacola must have ID to enter the base, and a U.S. citizen must accompany non-citizens. There is reserved seating for a fee; otherwise, bring folding chairs or blankets. Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones are always a good idea, especially for children.
The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival
The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is celebrating its 52nd year in Pensacola and is a highly-regarded art festival. The three-day, juried art show draws more than 200 of the Nation’s best painters, potters, sculptors, jewelers, graphic artists, and artisans to the destination each year. When you need a break from shopping, head to the Main Stage. Sounds ranging from Bluegrass to Cajun and Jazz to Classical are available. My attention was piqued when I heard a string group playing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody! Craft artists demonstrate traditional arts, crafts, and trades, including blacksmithing, engraving, spinning, weaving, and other skills in the Heritage Arts Area.
Foo Foo On the Menu
Ten of Pensacola’s favorite restaurants and food vendors participated in the festival through Foo Foo On the Menu. Each vendor has a specialty item featured for the festival. I tried the orange miso-seared scallops at sophisticated Pearl and Horn and cleared the plate. Atlas Oyster House offered a fried oyster po-boy with a smoked tomato tartar sauce that paired perfectly. While I was too full to try dessert at the Union Public House, their Foo Foo On the Menu offering was a Caribbean-inspired banana cake with pineapple, allspice, and cinnamon.
Making the Most of Your Trip To Pensacola
This was my second visit to Pensacola, FL, and there is still more to explore. Pensacola is a city proud of its history and thriving arts community, and rightly so. Yet, it’s also a coastal town, offering beaches and outdoor adventures such as watersports, hiking, and biking. It boasts Gulf Islands National Park, spanning three states along the coastline. One of my favorite things is how walkable the city is. We stayed downtown and walked to almost every event and most restaurants.
The Foo Foo Festival is a fun and accessible event with many choices. I love that the activities are spread throughout the twelve days, avoiding trying to pack in as much as possible in a long weekend. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the mix of events is perfect for festival-goers with different needs and interests. It’s a fantastic boon to the Pensacola arts community and a reason to visit Pensacola repeatedly.