DISCOVER🎓P’COLA

Pensacola’s #1 Newsletter

If you're itching for some adventure, we're here to help you stumble upon the finest local festivities, those tucked-away treasures, and every bit of excitement stirring in our community. It’s the perfect way to truly get to know the heart of our home, Pensacola.

QUICK. FREE. INFORMATIVE. 

Morning P’Cola!

As we kick off an action-packed Memorial Day weekend, the entire PENSACOLA community is bursting with a deep sense of Southern pride for the incredible accomplishments of our local graduates. A big hand goes out to all the Mamma’s, Daddy’s, and extended families for supporting these amazing kids.

This week marks a major milestone for families across Escambia & Santa Rosa counties as these hard-working kids take the stage to receive their diplomas. Their dedication, resilience, and success reflect the strong character and heart of our community, making this holiday weekend an extra special celebration of both country and the bright futures of our local youth. CONGRATULATIONS to the CLASS of 2026! & HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, too!

See ya out there.

COMMUNITY & COUNTY NEWS

• Pensacola Beach Blvd Traffic: A slow cruise…. expect travel delays heading to the beach. Temporary inside lane closures (northbound and southbound) are active for the Pensacola Beach Gateway Improvements Project.

• Downtown Parking Closure: Heads up! The Jefferson Street Parking Garage will be temporarily closed from Sunday, May 24 through Tuesday, May 26.

• Yard Debris Backlog: The city announced a massive $50,000 surge operation to tackle a 21% spike in spring yard waste. Sanitation crews are working 6 days a week (including Wednesdays and Saturdays) to get routes caught up.

• Upcoming Road Closures: Early notice! Major downtown road closures are expected on Friday, May 29, to accommodate the upcoming Grand Fiesta Parade.

• National EMS Week: Escambia County officially recognized local Emergency Medical Services teams for their dedication and compassionate care.

• Animal Welfare Rescue: The Escambia County Department of Animal Welfare announced the successful rescue and intake of 32 dogs from a local animal hoarding case.

• Housing Plan Feedback: The city is entering its final week for public feedback on the 2026-2027 Annual Housing and Community Development Plan. Written comments regarding local housing needs and funding priorities are being accepted through Tuesday, May 26.

MARCH FORECAST  

This weekend kicks off on Friday, May 22, with a mild 79°F high (gorgeous), a 75% chance of heavy daytime squalls (typical), and a steady 11 mph breeze blowing in straight from the south (gotta love it). Scattered coastal thunderstorms roll back onto our shores on Saturday (high of 83°F) and Tuesday (high of 80°F).

Mid-week brings a 70% chance of daytime drizzle followed by nighttime lightning shows over the Gulf on Wednesday (high of 84°F).

Things clear up nicely by Thursday, May 28, capping off the week with a balmy 85°F high, just a 35% chance of a passing daytime shower, and gentle southeast trade winds at 8 mph.

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THIS WEEK in P’COLA

Friday, May 22, 2026

Memorial Weekend Pensacola Beach 2026, 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Runs through 5/25), Pensacola Beach

 "Under the Lights" Schooling Show & Clinic, 5:00 PM, Escambia County Equestrian Center

Pensacola Habitat Takeover Night, 6:05 PM, Blue Wahoos Stadium

Rosie O'Grady's Dueling Piano Show, 8:00 PM, Seville Quarter

Saturday, May 23, 2026

PENSACOLA BEACH MEMORIAL DAY

Graffiti Bridge 5K, 7:30 AM, 17th Avenue (Graffiti Bridge)

"Under the Lights" Schooling Show & Clinic, 8:00 AM, Escambia County Equestrian Center

Granny Get-Down: A Cook-Off Celebration, 11:00 AM, Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center

Warehouse of Speed Hot Nights, Cool Cars Spring Open House 5.0 Dyno Day, 5:00 PM, Warehouse of Speed Pensacola

Live Music: Charlie & The Hammerheads, 6:00 PM, Five Sisters Blues Café

KARNAVAL 2026!, 6:00 PM, The Garden Center

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Memorial Day Ceremony / Veterans Memorial Park / 1:00 PM

Monday, May 25, 2026

11th Annual Pensacola Memorial Day Concert, 1:00 PM / Hunter Amphitheater Community Maritime Park

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Bands on the Beach: Modern Eldorados 7:00 – 9:00 PM Gulfside Pavillion

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Development Review Committee Meeting, 1:00 PM, Escambia County Central Office Complex

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Blue Angels Practice & Autograph Session, 9:30 AM, Naval Aviation Museum

City Council Regular Meeting, 5:30 PM, City Council Chambers (City Hall)

.38 Special Live in Concert, 7:00 PM, Saenger Theatre

CIVIL, PARK & BUSINESS NEWS

CITY EVENTS - CALENDAR 

Recent BILLS passed in MAY 2026 by The Gov'ner

• HB 757 – School Safety & Postsecondary Guardian Expansion: Expands the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program to public state colleges and universities, allowing trained faculty and staff to carry firearms on campus. It also creates a second-degree felony for discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and mandates active assailant response plans.

• SB 1004 – Animal Cruelty Registries: A new Requirement of the Department of Law Enforcement, to publicly post specific identification information on its website regarding individuals convicted of animal cruelty offenses.

• SB 1074 – The "Nearest Nickel" Currency Act: In response to the federal government phasing out the 1-cent coin, this law allows businesses to round cash transactions up or down to the nearest nickel.

• HB 453 – Marching Band Physical Education Credit: Allows high school students to substitute two years of marching band to satisfy both physical education and performing arts graduation requirements. It also accommodates Special Olympics participation for students with disabilities.

• HB 1073 – District School Board Members' Bill of Rights: Establishes explicit rights for school board members to publicly comment on district business and access district facilities.

• HB 1201 – Student Health and Epilepsy Safety: Revises state educational guidelines regarding childhood epilepsy and updates requirements for a student’s individualized seizure action plan in public schools.

• HB 1121 – Aging and Disability Services: Adjusts Medicaid long-term care enrollment procedures and requires the Department of Elderly Affairs to maintain a structured, statewide pre-enrollment list.

That’s a whole lot of change blowing through our coastal waters.

PENSACOLA REAL ESTATE

For local homeowners, a shifting tide is finally introducing some stability. A wave of new insurance carriers are re-entering the Florida market, forcing premium costs down by an average of 14.5% compared to what was projected without the reforms —making it easier for local buyers to qualify for home loans without getting sunk by insurance quotes.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved nearly 20 new property and casualty insurance companies for the Sunshine State's market. Some of the notable new insurance companies include:

• Mangrove Property Insurance Co. – Newly approved and making waves, they were just cleared to absorb up to 40,000 personal residential and wind-only policies from Citizens.

• Viceroy Preferred Insurance Company – A Florida-domiciled carrier approved to write homeowners' multi-peril and dwelling fire policies, focusing on higher-value homes.

• Praxis Reciprocal Exchange – A member-owned "reciprocal exchange" model approved to enter the market and provide traditional residential coverage.

• Stand Insurance Exchange – Another newly approved reciprocal exchange structured to bring fresh, private capacity to Florida neighborhoods.

• Vision Insurance Exchange – Launched to offer statewide home coverage options (excluding Monroe County).

• Slide Insurance Company – While they entered the market slightly earlier, Slide has scaled up massively, absorbing hundreds of thousands of private policies to become one of the state's major new backbones.

• Manatee Insurance Exchange – Another fresh carrier that stepped up at scale to absorb tens of thousands of coastal residential policies.

• Tailwind Insurance Company & Orange Insurance Exchange – Both entered the market backed by fresh capital specifically to write new property policies under Florida's tighter litigation rules.

These new companies see smooth sailing ahead—giving local buyers a chance to shop around and find competitive quotes. Let’s go tour a home!

Call / Text / Email Anytime!

sponsored by

Haiden Shemer / Lokation Real Estate / 850.533.2914

MAY’S EVENTS

• May 22: Memorial Day Weekend Celebration at OWA — 12:00 PM (Downtown OWA, Foley)

• May 22: Micro Wrestling Federation Performance — 8:00 PM (Vinyl Music Hall, Pensacola)

• May 23: LuLuPalooza Music Festival — 11:00 AM (LuLu’s, Gulf Shores)

• May 23: The Graffiti Bridge 5k / RunPensacola.com

• May 26: Blue Angels Practice Flight — 10:30 AM (NAS Pensacola/National Naval Aviation Museum)

• May 27: Blue Angels Practice Flight — 10:30 AM (NAS Pensacola/National Naval Aviation Museum)

JUNE’S EVENTS 

• June 3, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 3, 2026 — Bands on the Beach: The New Cahoots — 7:00 PM — Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach

• June 4, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice & Autograph Day — 10:30 AM — National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola

• June 6, 2026 — La Belle Performing Arts: It All Started with a Wish — 2:00 PM & 6:00 PM — Pensacola Saenger Theatre

• June 6, 2026 — Stand-up At Genie's Coffee — 7:30 PM — Genie's Coffee Shop, Pensacola

• June 7, 2026 — LaBelle Performing Arts: Carved By Dreams — 2:00 PM — Pensacola Saenger Theatre

• June 10, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 10, 2026 — Bands on the Beach: Schofield — 7:00 PM — Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach

• June 11, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 13, 2026 — Magic Of Motown featuring the Motowners — 7:30 PM — Pensacola Saenger Theatre

• June 16, 2026 — Beetlejuice the Musical — 7:30 PM — Pensacola Saenger Theatre

• June 17, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 17, 2026 — Bands on the Beach: 9th Avenue Brass Band — 7:00 PM — Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach

• June 17, 2026 — Beetlejuice the Musical — 7:30 PM — Pensacola Saenger Theatre

• June 18, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 20, 2026 — 12th Annual Fish House Craft Beer Fest — 3:00 PM — The Fish House, Pensacola

• June 20, 2026 — Gallery Night: Art of Freedom — 5:00 PM — Downtown Pensacola

• June 24, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 24, 2026 — Bands on the Beach: Goldmine — 7:00 PM — Gulfside Pavilion, Pensacola Beach

• June 25, 2026 — Blue Angels Practice — 10:30 AM — NAS Pensacola

• June 26, 2026 — Island Fights 98 — 7:00 PM — Pensacola Bay Center

• June 26, 2026 — Pensacola Beach Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre — 6:00 PM — Seville Quarter, Pensacola

• June 27, 2026 — White Tie Rock Ensemble: A Night Of Arena Rock — 7:30 PM — Pensacola Bay Center

• June 27, 2026 — Pensacola Beach Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre — 6:00 PM — Seville Quarter, Pensacola

• June 28, 2026 — Pensacola Blues Festival 2026 — 1:00 PM — Seville Quarter, Pensacola

• June 29, 2026 — The Princess Concert — 6:00 PM — Pensacola Saenger Theatre

“ and this was just to name a few…“

LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN

MAY 2026

• May 25-11th Annual Memorial Day Concert 1:00 PM, Community Maritime Park

• May 26 – Modern Eldorados (Bands on the Beach) – Gulfside Pavilion – 7:00 PM

• May 28 –38 Special: 50 Year Legacy Tour – Saenger Theatre – 7:00 PM

• THE HANDLEBAR

• BAMBOO WILLIES

• LAGUNA’S

• VINYL MUSIC HALL

• SEVILLE QUARTER

• PENSACOLA OPERA

• THE SALTY ROSE

SPORTS

PENSACOLA- Calendar

GENERAL EVENTS

• May 29 – Kid’s Bike Races + Racing – Five Flags Speedway – 7:00 PM

• May 30 – Pensacola FC vs. Valdosta FC (Women's Soccer) – Ashton Brosnaham Stadium – 4:00 PM

RUNNING & TRAIL EVENTS (RUN)

• MONDAYS MONDAY DOG RUN

• THURSDAYS FLEET FEET

• EVENTS: 

  • May 23 – Graffiti Bridge 5K – 17th Avenue (Graffiti Bridge) – 7:30 AM

  • May 23 – Rec Plex North parkrun 5K – UWF Rec Plex North – 7:30 AM

  • May 30 – Rec Plex North parkrun 5K – UWF Rec Plex North – 7:30 AM

MORE SPORTS/ MORE EVENTS including… Equestrian, Pickleball, Paddle board, Hiking, Surfing, Kyacking, Soccer

• May 22 – "Under the Lights" Schooling Show & Clinic – Escambia County Equestrian Center – 5:00 PM

• May 23 – "Under the Lights" Schooling Show & Clinic – Escambia County Equestrian Center – 8:00 AM 

• Hiking the Loop UWF Main Campus 20+ miles of trails for all skill levels (Nature Trail & West Campus). Best accessed from the Pate Street Trailhead (11969 Pate St.). It’s free to park there, and you can pick up the trail right from the lot.

• If you're lookin' for a casual game of soccer or pickleball, the Vickrey Resource Center and Bayview Park usually have folks out playin' pickup games most weekday evenings when the weather is this nice.

Follow us on Instagram for even more local finds. This is DISCOVER P’COLA. Be in the know for where to go, local news, events, and things to do. Let’s get to it! If you haven’t already, please…

If you enjoyed this week’s edition, would you mind doing us a kindness? Next time you're chatting over the fence, catching up with a friend, or grabbing coffee with a co-worker, go ahead and pass this newsletter along to them. Word of mouth around here travels faster than a midday tide. Whether they're out on a boat, keeping our beaches beautiful, working the restaurants, or building homes on our coast, we'd love to pull up a porch chair for 'em. ♡