Downtown Pensacola

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Downtown Pensacola

Downtown Pensacola—discovered in 1559 and recently voted “Florida’s Greatest Place”!
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Dating back 450 years as the first European settlement in the United States, Pensacola has a rich and colorful history, and the heart of the city of Pensacola is its downtown. A refreshing blend of historic resolve and cosmopolitan progress defines Downtown Pensacola, a 44-block district encompassing historic and archaeological sites, chic shops, eclectic art galleries and award-winning restaurants. It's a walkable district lined with colorful bicycle racks, and bustling with alternative transportation options—from pedicabs to Segways to trolleys to holiday-time horse-drawn carriages. Thousands come to the nationally-recognized Blue Wahoos waterfront stadium, just around the corner, during spring and summer, and thousands more head downtown each Saturday for Palafox Market, a farmers' market enjoying its tenth anniversary in 2017. During the holidays, downtown Pensacola glows with the lights of half a million white lights and the month-long Winterfest, recognized as one of Florida's Top Events. PENSACOLA DIB SOCIAL MEDIA TERMS OF USE

Thank you for visiting the official page of the Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board (DIB). We’re very glad you are here and encourage you to share your comments, photos and videos of downtown Pensacola. We reserve the right to remove any posting or other material that, at our sole discretion, is deemed to be off-topic, inappropriate or objectionable. We reserve the right to delete or hide comments/photos, videos, or links that:
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- Are repetitive posts copied and pasted. Please note that the Downtown Improvement Board does not edit comments to remove objectionable content; instead, the entire comment(s) will be deleted or hidden, so please ensure that your comments contain none of the above. In the case of more than repeated instances of inappropriate posts and comments, the user and any future accounts created by user will be blocked from the site.

02/01/2026

It’s Pawdi-Gras day in downtown Pensacola and the fifth annual is in full swing until 4pm! 💜💛💚🐾

01/31/2026

It’s freezing 🥶 outside today but Downtown has plenty of spots to help you stay warm during a Pensacola freeze. There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee to take the edge off, and if you’re braving the chill today, here are some great options to help you thaw out. Bundle up, snag free parking in a City on-street spot, take a side street to access South Palafox, and fuel up before exploring the shops, galleries, restaurants, and bars downtown.

and

01/29/2026

Construction can’t stop the sweet stuff! 🍬

Bubba's Sweet Spot on Palafox Street is OPEN, and manager Christa is breaking it all down in this video ⬇️

🕚 Current hours
🚗 Where to park during construction (hint: paid parking directly behind the shop will be validated!)
💘 Plus, a special Valentine’s Day event you won’t want to miss

Don’t let the construction cones stop you — come on in and treat yourself (and your Valentine 🍓🍫).

📍 Bubba’s Sweet Spot | 405 South Palafox
❤️ Watch the video for all the details

01/28/2026

𝗣𝗔𝗪-𝗗𝗜 💚💛💜 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗦 SUNDAY NOON-4pm

Pensacola Pawdi Gras is taking over Downtown Pensacola!

📍 Garden Street (between Tarragona & Palafox)

Pensacola’s biggest dog-friendly Mardi Gras celebration is back in the heart of downtown and this year it’s going full-on paw-some ’80s! The 5th Annual Pensacola Paw-di Gras, hosted by WolfGang Pensacola and presented by Perfect Plain Brewing Co., Hanto & Clarke and Jet 100.7, brings the ultimate block paw-ty to Garden Street while supporting a great cause: the Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare.

What to expect:
🐕 A high-energy Paw-rade through downtown
🎭 Costume contests for dogs (and humans!)
🎪 Local vendors & sponsors lining the street
🍻 Food, drinks, and craft beer
🎯 Games and activities for two- and four-legged guests
🌈 A Rainbow Bridge Memorial Area honoring beloved pets

With more than $85,000 raised for local animals in need, Paw-di Gras is proof that Downtown Pensacola knows how to party with purpose. Grab your beads, leash up your pup, and join us for one of downtown’s most beloved events of the year 💜💛💚

📸:

01/26/2026

Construction or not, Palafox is open for business and Parlor Doughnuts is absolutely worth the stop.

Swing by Parlor Doughnuts for their signature layered doughnuts made fresh all day, plus your favorite cozy drinks including Caramel Macchiato, vanilla bean cream coffee, white chocolate blondie coffee, Chai Latte, hot chocolate and more. ☕️

Bonus: they’ve got vegan/gluten-friendly and keto-friendly doughnuts too — and not just doughnuts, but breakfast tacos, avacado toast, sausage biscuits and more.

So don’t let construction slow you down! Palafox is open, and Parlor Doughnuts is serving up something sweet every day starting at 6:30am. 🍩

PARLOR DOUGHNUTS
📍 120 Palafox Place
🕡 Sun-Wed 6:30am-4pm
🕡 Thur-Sat 6:30am-6:30pm
💻 Online ordering available

01/25/2026

End of week three on Palafox Street.

Construction keeps moving, and so does our downtown community. Thank you to everyone who’s continued to shop, dine, stroll, and show up for our downtown businesses through it all. Your support means everything—and Palafox is feeling the love.

01/23/2026

Things to do this weekend in Downtown Pensacola. Here's a list of SOME of the great things happening downtown this weekend. Check our events calendar at downtownpensacola.com for a rundown of more great happenings!

Come down and support your local small businesses during the construction—we need you more than ever right now!

Friday, Jan. 23

Pensacola Opera: Verdi's La Traviata
Fri 7pm and Sun 2pm
Saenger Theatre

Rosie O’Grady’s Dueling Piano Show
Fri 8pm - 12am
Seville Quarter

Saturday, Jan. 24

Makers Mile Run/Walk
Sat 6:30am
Maker's Cafe & Espresso Bar

Palafox Market
Sat 9am - 2pm
Downtown Pensacola
Dr. Martin Luther King Plaza & Plaza Ferdinand

Japanese New Year Celebration
Sat 11am - 4pm
The Wright Place

Grown-Up Book Fair
Sat 11am - 6pm and Sun 11am - 4pm
Odd Colony Brewing Co.

Island Fights
Sat 6:30pm - 11:30pm
Pensacola Bay Center

Sunday, Jan. 25

Eric Stracener And The Straight Sinners At The Handlebar
Sun 2pm
The Handlebar

The Official Vibe Irie's Reggae Sundays
Sun 4pm - 8pm
Seville Quarter

01/22/2026

Meet the Barnes family of (left to right): Bethany, Coral, Gary, baby Honey, and Poppy.

After moving to Pensacola from Brooklyn, NY, parents Bethany and Gary, a Pensacola native, loved spending time downtown and enjoying coffee, dinners, and strolls. But they noticed a lack of engaging activities for kids. This sparked their dream of creating a magical space where children can play, explore, and let their imaginations soar, and Coral’s Closet was born!

BUSINESS AS USUAL ON PALAFOX
Construction is still going on in the street, but Coral’s Closet and Palafox businesses and sidewalks are wide open!

📍 114 South Palafox
🅿️ Free City on-street parking nearby
🫶🏼 Thanks for supporting local

01/19/2026

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY PARADE

The Martin Luther King, Jr. parade begins at 11 a.m. today at the intersection of Spring and Garden streets in downtown Pensacola. The 36th annual Pensacola MLK Day parade is a Mardi Gras style event, featuring vibrant floats from local businesses, churches, organizations, school bands and elected officials. Each float is decorated according to the year’s theme, showcasing the community’s creativity and unity.

The MLK, Jr. parade will cross Garden Street and proceed south along South Jefferson Street to Main Street.

➡️ Visit the official parade website at mlkparadepensacola.com. to learn more.

📷: Archive photos by Laura Bogan Photo

01/16/2026

Gallery Night is here! “Lunar New Year” is at a slightly shifted location from 5-9pm. Head to Plaza Ferdinand and the surrounding streets to catch the performances, vendors, artists and more! Park in a free City on-street spot. And while you’re enjoying Gallery Night, don’t miss the fun going around downtown, especially the businesses on Palafox that are in the construction zone! 🚜🚧🦺

palafox pensacolafl

Sarah Soule Webb

Who’d we miss? Let us know in the comments!

🎥: ♥️

01/15/2026

Meet Katie Rozier, the heart behind Indigeaux Denim Bar & Boutique on Palafox 💙👖

While Palafox Street is under construction, downtown is very much open, and local businesses like need your support more than ever. Katie and her team are friendly, welcoming, and ready to help you find the perfect denim and locally curated styles you won’t find anywhere else.

Sidewalks are open, parking is available, and every visit, purchase, and share makes a real difference for the people who pour their passion into downtown Pensacola every day.

🚧 Construction is temporary, but supporting local is always in style!🩵

Address

Pensacola, FL

Telephone

+18504345371

Website

http://www.downtownpensacola.com/

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