Palm Beach Events

Between its 38 cities, Palm Beach County offers an array of premier entertaining activities and events. Here are a few over the next few months.

The crown jewel of art fairs, the American International Fine Art Fair (AIFAF) is at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach from February 5 to 13. Some 80 exhibitors from over 13 countries representing fine art – from classical antiquity to contemporary – return for the fair’s 15th year in The Palm Beaches.

Renowned international dealers present fine jewelry, art and antiques – showcasing premium examples in furniture, ceramics, artwork, jewels and watches from over 200 international exhibitors – are at the same venue for the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show from February 18 to 22.

The ArtiGras Fine Art Festival in Jupiter from February 19 to 21 has grown from a local art show to a nationally recognized fine arts festival.

Now in its 49th year, the Delray Affair in Delray Beach from April 15 to 17 is an affair to remember. It is held along Atlantic Avenue in the downtown area of Delray Beach, known as the Village by the Sea. South Florida’s oldest and largest outdoor festival, it is a street festival in every sense of the word.

And summer officially starts with SunFest in Downtown West Palm Beach (this year from April 27 to May 1) – the largest music and art festival in Florida, spotlighting just about every musical genre. Listen to tunes, sip cold drinks, and scope out the vistas around downtown West Palm Beach’s new waterfront.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

For more information on events in The Palm Beaches visit www.PalmBeachFl.com/events 

Tampa Bay – A Festival Destination

In Tampa Bay, any excuse to celebrate will do and locals break out the fireworks, parade floats and live entertainment for the city’s fantastic line-up of festivals.

The cool and breezy months of January through March draw the largest concentration of festivals. Right now, until January 22, Tampa Bay is celebrating its heart and soul and ethnic diversity at the Black Heritage Festival. There are events all over the Tampa Bay area.

The Gasparilla Children’s Parade and “Piratechnic” Extravaganza on January 22 is part of Tampa’s annual series of pirate-themed Gasparilla activities. This alcohol-free family event is held each year on the Saturday before the colorful Gasparilla Pirate Fest Invasion and Parade of Pirates.

The 106th annual Florida State Fair from February 10 to 21 will feature freebies with your paid admission.

The streets of Channel District and Ybor City come ablaze on February 12 for the Sant' Yago Night Parade; and Tampa's historical Ybor City showcases its ethnic roots with Fiesta Day on February 26.

From March 3 to 13 the Florida Strawberry Festival celebrates the bountiful harvest of the strawberry that has made Plant City, Florida, the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.”

Discover an enchanted realm of wizards and warriors amongst gourmet treats and entertainment every weekend from February 26 to April 17 (plus Friday March 11) at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival located at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).

The annual Apollo Beach Manatee Arts Festival on March 11 and 12 is a major arts and crafts show that promotes the visual and performing arts as well as awareness and preservation of the endangered Florida manatee.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.


For a comprehensive list of activities in and around the Bay area, visit Tampa Bay at www.VisitTampaBay.com

Winter Destination Getaway Idea for Boat Lovers and Aficionados

The 2011 Miami International Boat Show and Strictly Sail Miami, one of the world’s largest boat shows, returns from February 17 to 21 with exciting features for everyone, from experienced boaters and divers to families and anyone who ever dreamed of owning a boat.

There will be new attractions aimed at on-the-water fun, travel and hands-on education.

It will showcase thousands of the newest powerboats, sailboats, engines, electronics and marine accessories from more than 2,000 leading manufacturers from around the world. With new attractions including the Dive & Travel Harbor featuring the ‘Be a Diver’ scuba pool, and the new Discover Boating Resource Center, a boating education experience offering free boat rides, on-the-water training courses, and daily seminars, the 2011 show is the ultimate destination to discover boating.

“There is no other boating event in the world that provides boaters with the opportunity to shop the best and biggest selection of boats and accessories. With thousands of products to choose from in one of the best boating destinations and dozens of activities the whole family can enjoy, the Miami International Boat Show is THE place to find out why life is better with a boat,” noted Cathy Rick-Joule, show manager.

In addition to the vast selection of boats and marine accessories for sale and hundreds of products making their world debuts, there is a wide array of attractions boaters of all ages can enjoy throughout the five-day event.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

For more information on the 2011 Miami International Boat Show and Strictly Sail Miami visit www.miamiboatshow.com/

Piratical Escapades in Key West

The spiritual descendants of Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham, pirate queen Anne Bonny and even Captain Jack Sparrow are to descend on Key West Friday, November 26, through Sunday, December 5, for the 11th annual Pirates in Paradise Festival.

Designed to appeal to children and adults alike, the colorful gathering typically brings hundreds of buccaneer aficionados and re-enactors to celebrate the island city's adventurous seafaring history.

The festival schedule features tall ship sailing adventures, a plank-walking championship, living history pirate encampments, swashbuckling soirees and parties, a "village thieves' market" and pirate pub, pirate tours of Key West, an educational tall ship sailing seminar and the staged re-creation of the trial of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, real-life female buccaneers who were captured in Caribbean waters in the early 1700s.

Throughout the 2010 Pirates in Paradise Festival, aspiring seafarers can experience tall ship pirate sailing excursions aboard the Schooner Wolf, the flagship of the Keys' Conch Republic including sunset sails, and join Captain Finbar in lighthearted attacks on "land forces" and unsuspecting vessels in the harbor.

Nonstop entertainment is to be provided by strolling minstrels and combative stuntmen. Little buccaneers can enjoy games and treasure hunts in a special kids' area, and vendors plan to offer period arts and crafts. A homemade brew competition is "on tap" as well.

In addition, living-history pirate encampments, "invasions" and demonstrations by military re-enactors are scheduled at Fort Zachary Taylor, an authentic Civil War fortification adjacent to Truman Waterfront Commons. Fort Taylor events are planned for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3-5.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

For more information about the Pirates in Paradise Festival visit www.piratesinparadise.com

Morikami Bon Festival Honors Ancestors

For the 33rd year, the Morikami will host the uber-popular Bon Festival. The event, on August 14, inspired by Japan’s three-day Obon holiday honoring the spirits, packs all of the celebration’s excitement into one fun-filled evening.

Bon follows the Obon holiday’s tradition of remembering ancestors and thanking them for the living’s quality of life with cultural activities, entertainment and food, as well as a sea of illuminated lanterns and fireworks.
 


When night falls, patrons pay homage to those who have passed on by floating individually decorated candlelit lanterns on Morikami Pond, a traditional Japanese ceremony known as Toro Nagashi. The myriad of lights created by the floating lanterns signifies the guidance of departed souls back to where they came candlelit lanterns on after their brief visit. There will be limited lanterns available for $10 each, and they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.



Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens has been a center for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida since its opening in 1977. The Morikami invites guests to discover South Florida’s heritage and its connection with Japan, and explore a series of six diverse gardens inspired by a different historical period and style of Japanese gardening. Experience traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through world-class exhibits, varied educational programs and seasonal events, bonsai display, pan-Asian cuisine and a distinctive museum store. 
 


The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach, Florida.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

For more information on Morikami’s Bon Festival visit http://www.morikami.org

Florida Scallop & Music Festival Rolls into Port St. Joe

A long-standing Florida tradition returns for the 14th year this August in a celebration of the Gulf region and Florida’s beautiful “Forgotten Coast”.

The Gulf County Chamber of Commerce hosts the Florida Scallop & Music Festival, formerly known as the St. Joseph Bay Scallop Festival, which brings arts and crafts, music, and the ocean’s bounty to the Waterfront at Shipyard Cove on Friday August 6 through Sunday August 8.

A weekend of fun for the whole family with attractions from local businesses and regional food at an inexpensive price gives the Southeast an easy way to experience the best of the Port St. Joe area in Florida’s Northwestern Panhandle, approximately 35 miles southeast of Panama City.

The kickoff on Friday features an all-day merchant sidewalk sale, where local vendors and artists will showcase their best, and will include a Patron Dinner featuring many award-winning chefs.

General festivities begin on Saturday with the traditional opening ceremony. A variety of vendors will serve scallops to festival-goers and other vendors will also be serving refreshing snacks and meals. While feasting on the festival’s namesake, guests can also peruse the merchandise of many artists and craft vendors throughout the day, and enjoy live music.

The fun continues on Sunday with the returning vendors and activities. Scallops and snacks will be served by various vendors until Sunday evening.

Admission for children ages 10 and younger is free, as is for those 65 years and older and military personnel with valid I.D. General admission to the festival is $5 per person on Saturday, and $5 per person on Sunday.

For more information about top events in Florida take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida.

For more information on the Florida Scallop & Music Festival visit http://www.gulfchamber.org/scallopfestival

Hemingway Days Celebrated in Florida Keys

The legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway, who lived and wrote in Key West throughout the 1930s, is to be celebrated Tuesday through Sunday, July 20–25, during the island's 30th annual Hemingway Days.

Festival standouts include a look-alike contest for Hemingway imitators, a leading American short story competition directed by Ernest's author granddaughter, a one-man play exploring Hemingway's adventures and a three-day marlin tournament recalling his passion for deep-sea angling. Fans of good writing can explore a roster of literary and theatrical events.

More than 125 burly, bearded contestants are expected to compete in the "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe's Bar, 201 Duval Street, Key West. Preliminary rounds are set for Thursday and Friday evening (July 22 and 23), with finalists facing off on Saturday evening.

Sloppy Joe's also spotlights the bearded brotherhood in the annual "Running of the Bulls," a quirky take-off on Pamplona's famous run, outside the bar at 1pm Saturday (July 24).

Before the bull bash, at noon look-alikes will be on hand for "Photos with Papa." Afterwards, they plan to serve a birthday cake in a slightly belated celebration of Ernest's July 21 birthday.

Other festival fun includes Saturday's Hemingway Days Caribbean Street Fair on Duval Street and Saturday night's 5k sunset run through Old Town Key West.

Sunday's schedule features a sidewalk art show outside the legendary Green Parrot Bar and Sloppy Joe's Arm Wrestling Contest, an annual favorite.

Attendees also can view an exhibition of rare Hemingway memorabilia at the Key West Museum of Art & History, 281 Front St., and tour "Papa's" former Key West home, now the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, 907 Whitehead Street.

For more information about top events in Florida, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida

Additional Hemingway Days details can be found at http://www.hemingwaydays.net

Conch Republic to Celebrate Independence in April

The Conch Republic, more commonly known as Key West and the Florida Keys, is to salute the 28th anniversary of its founding Friday, April 16, through Sunday, April 25.

Traditionally irreverent highlights of the annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration include a "drag" race between female impersonators in startlingly high heels and a lighthearted sea skirmish featuring tall ships in Key West Harbor.

As well as showcasing the independent and eccentric spirit that characterizes the Florida Keys, the celebration benefits a variety of local charitable organizations.

The birth of the Conch Republic was prompted by a 1982 U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint set up at the head of the Florida Keys so agents could search cars for drugs and illegal aliens. It virtually halted traffic on the only road to the mainland.

Realizing that the island chain was being treated as a foreign country, local officials protested by staging a secession from the U.S. and proclaiming the independent Conch Republic. They waged "war" on the mother country by pelting federal agents with stale Cuban bread, surrendered almost immediately and requested $1 billion in foreign aid.

The Border Patrol checkpoint was removed, but not before the Conch Republic had captured the popular imagination.

As well as the drag race and sea battle, highlights of the 2010 Conch Republic Independence Celebration include the World's Longest Parade, named because its route down Key West's Duval Street proceeds from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and the Conch Republic Red Ribbon Bed Race, billed as "the most fun you can have in bed with your clothes on."

Among the other scheduled events are a reception aboard a World War II ship turned floating museum, open-air crafts show and food fest, fiddlers' contest at the Green Parrot Bar, sailing race commemorating the Keys' salvaging history and rebirth of a Key West tradition featuring a 7-foot Key lime pie.

For more information about top events in Florida, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida at www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

For more information and a complete festival schedule visit www.conchrepublic.com

FORT WALTON BEACH CELEBRATES MARDI GRAS ON THE ISLAND

A little bit of New Orleans is coming to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, at its very own “Mardi Gras on the Island” celebration on Saturday, February 6.

Sponsored by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and its annual sponsors, “Mardi Gras on the Island” is a full day of activities, starting with the Mardi Gras Parade on Okaloosa Island at 11 am.

There will be beads, treats, and even more beads as the colorful floats make their way down Santa Rosa Blvd., starting at Tarpon Drive, working their way under the Brooks Bridge, and ending near Marler Avenue. The floats will pass by the reviewing stand in front of The Breakers.

Right after the parade, there will be a Block Party sponsored by Helen Back on Amberjack Drive. From noon to 5, there will be fun, food, and festivities, including beer specials, a Crawfish Boil, and a Kid Zone. Music will be provided by Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe.

Later that evening, the Chamber will host the Mardi Gras Ball at the Emerald Coast Conference Center from 8 pm to midnight. Costumed revellers will dance to the Swingin’ Dick Tracys, and sample food items provided by Chamber-member restaurants, enjoying such flavorful foods as Creole Steak over Steamed Rice, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Crab Dip, Gumbo, Pasta Shrimp Creole, and don’t forget the King Cakes and Petit Fours!

For more information about top events in Florida, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida at www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

Or, take a look at the official web site for Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce at www.fwbchamber.org/mardigras

DAZZLING ‘DROPS’, FIREWORKS AND FRIVOLITY TO HIGHLIGHT NEW YEAR'S EVE IN FLORIDA KEYS

New Year's Eve partiers unwilling to endure cold-weather festivities, such as the traditional "ball drop" in New York's Times Square, can find exuberant celebrations and far warmer temperatures in the Florida Keys.

In Key West, revelers can choose from three very different – though equally lighthearted – takeoffs on the Times Square gala as midnight approaches Thursday, Dec. 31.

On the island city's renowned Duval Street, thousands of people are expected to ring in the New Year by watching a gigantic conch shell, the symbol of the Florida Keys, descend from its supports to the flat roof of Sloppy Joe's Bar, 201 Duval St. Festivities are emceed by a rooftop host and, as a huge clock counts down the seconds to midnight, the manmade shell begins to descend. Sloppy Joe's live music rounds out the revelry.

A few blocks away at the Bourbon Street Pub/New Orleans House complex, 724 Duval St., renowned female impersonator Sushi is slated to take the celebration's center stage for the 13th consecutive year. Seconds before midnight, a lavishly gowned and coiffed Sushi – riding in a super-sized red high heel that glitters as glowingly as the ball in Times Square – is to be lowered from the balcony of the complex to the accompaniment of cheers and applause from the crowd below. Performances by renowned female impersonators kick off the merrymaking.

In Key West's Historic Seaport, New Year's Eve revelry combines with a salute to the island city's colorful seafaring heritage. Just before midnight, a pirate wench is to begin her descent from the top of the mast of a tall ship, to the accompaniment of cannon blasts and the liftoff of biodegradable balloons. She will complete her earthward journey as the clock strikes and 2010 officially begins. Live music, dancing and festivities at the Schooner Wharf Bar are to round out the seaport gala.

Blackwater Sound in Key Largo is to be the setting for the Upper Keys' leading New Year's Eve fireworks extravaganza. The sparkling sky display is hosted by bayside restaurants Sundowners, Señor Frijoles, Cactus Jack's, Gus' Grille at the Marriott Key Largo Beach Resort and the Caribbean Club, all located around mile markers (MM) 103-104. Tables fill up fast, so partiers are advised to arrive early.

Visitors and residents who want to start the New Year with a focus on fitness can do so beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, when the annual 5k Run, Walk and Crawl is to depart from Islamorada's Founders Park, MM 87 bayside.

A day of festivities is to follow, highlighted by a blessing of the fleet at Whale Harbor Bridge, MM 84 oceanside.

For more information about top events in Florida, take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida at http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

Or, take a look at the official web site for Florida Keys at http://www.fla-keys.com/

SOUTH BEACH WINE AND CULINARY EXTRAVAGANZA

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival is a one-of-a-kind extravaganza – a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned winemakers, spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.

The Festival will take place in and around the sun and sand of Miami’s South Beach this February 25-28, 2010, debuting some new events and returning classics.

True to fashion, the ninth annual wine and culinary extravaganza returns with events highlighting the latest trends in the industry. The 2010 Tribute Dinner honoree is world-renowned culinary master Daniel Boulud, a winner of multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and recipient of the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur from the French government for his contribution to the advancement of French culinary culture, among several other accolades.

The celebration will feature dishes from some of the finest chefs: Eric Ripert, Paul Bartolotta, Claude Troigros, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Festival host hotel Loews Miami Beach executive chef Gordon Maybury.

Exciting new additions to the 2010 Festival include:
The Festival highlights the talents of the hottest new dining destination in Miami, the Miami Design District, with a one-of-a-kind dining opportunity to taste the culinary expertise of chefs from Senora Martinez, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Pacific Time, and Fratelli Lyon – all in one evening!

The Barilla Interactive Lunch series at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables receives a makeover as the Festival debuts a Barilla Interactive Dinner hosted by Lidia Bastianich and her son, wine specialist Joe Bastianich.

Ming Tsai will host a late night Dim Sum & Disco party under the alluring atmosphere of the Setai.

Food Network stars including Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), Paula Deen (Paula’s Best Dishes), Pat and Gina Neely (Down Home with The Neelys), and Sandra Lee (Sandra’s Money Saving Meals) will be on-hand for culinary demonstrations and book signings at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village, late night parties, and more!

Enjoy the Wine Spectator wine seminars with executive editor Thomas Matthews and senior editor Bruce Sanderson. Also, wine aficionados Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Zraly and Mark Oldman will be on-hand to help navigate both novices and experts thru the finest selections in the Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida portfolio at the Bank of America lifestyle seminars.

Festival favorites return, re-invented with fresh new faces:
The Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray presented by Allen Brothers will feature top burger-making gurus, like the Shake Shack, Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, and Laurent Tourondel, along with People’s Choice Award Winner from the 2009 Festival, Spike Mendelsohn.

The Festival’s perfect pairing of barbeque and champagne on the beach will return with a BAM, as the Perrier-Jouët BubbleQ hosted by Emeril Lagasse. Last year’s tribute dinner honoree will play host to some of the finest names on the grill, including John Besh, Dean Fearing, Chris Lilly, Adam Perry Lang, Todd English, Aarón Sánchez, and many more.

Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best sponsored by Bank of America will return at the illustrious Fontainebleau Miami Beach, the picture perfect setting to find some of the world’s best winemakers personally pouring their selections alongside premier chefs serving their delicacies. Among the list of participating wineries for this year is Au Bon Climat, Caymus Vineyards, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Opus One Winery, Rubicon Estate, and several more additions to come. Culinary participants for Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best in 2010 include David Burke, Scott Conant, Paul Liebrandt, Michael White, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, and others.

The Festival’s family favorite, South Beach Diet presents Fun and Fit as a Family is going into its third year, and will take place again at the tropical grounds of Jungle Island in Miami. Fun and Fit as a Family will again feature the Kellogg’s Kidz Kitchen, plus the wildly popular Food Labs hosted by Food Network and Share Our Strength®, where kids can cook healthy recipes alongside top chefs; plus fitness activities, healthy food tastings and more! Jungle Island is also home all year long to the Children’s Sustainable Food Garden, which features different herbs and vegetables of a completely organic nature and provides an opportunity for children to interact with these items in a way that engages all of the senses. Check out the fun at www.funandfitasafamily.com.

All proceeds of the Festival benefit the students of the Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management who also assist Festival organizers with sponsorship fulfilment, restaurant and exhibitor recruitment, logistics, and inventory as well as working alongside some of the world’s greatest celebrity chefs and winemakers. In addition to receiving a first-rate education in one of the country’s most diversified hospitality and tourism markets, these students are provided the opportunity to work hands-on with some of the industry’s most experienced leaders.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine is produced by Florida International University and Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida with the support of the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Festival, visit www.sobewineandfoodfest.com .

For more information about other top events in Florida, take a look at The Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Florida at http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

HOLIDAYS BEGIN WITH LIGHT UP NIGHT IN THE NATION’S OLDEST CITY!

The City of St. Augustine will begin its annual Nights of Lights celebration during the Nights of Lights Light-up Night on November 21, 2009.

At 6:30 p.m., St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles, along with several past St. Augustine mayors, will “Flip the Switch” that will turn on more than two million tiny white lights lining the historic buildings, plaza and narrow, brick-paved streets transforming the Nation’s Oldest City into an enchanting destination that has become one of the South’s most popular holiday getaway destinations.

In a manner befitting the Nation’s Oldest City, this inspiring display of light is based on the tradition of the town’s original Spanish colonists who placed a white candle in their windows to brighten the nights during the Christmas holidays. Continuing through January 31, 2010, St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights provides a fantastic backdrop for more than 50 festivals, special tours and events throughout St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches. For a complete list of Nights of Lights events, visit http://www.NightsofLights.com.

This year, visitors to St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches can save money during their holiday-time visit with the destination’s recently launched discount program, The Getaway Card. This exciting new discount program provides an array of discounts to some of the area's most popular attractions, restaurants, hotels, resorts, golf courses and shopping venues.

Visit http://www.MyGetawayCard.com to print your free Getaway Card and preview a list of participating outlets and offers. In addition, participating businesses in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches visibly display the Getaway Card logo so that visitors can easily identify where they can save.

For more details on other annual top events in Florida, visit the Top Events Florida page at http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

TOP EVENTS ALL YEAR ROUND IN PENSACOLA

Pensacola could be named the Festival City, since every month of the year residents and visitors find something to celebrate. There are refined events such as the wine and jazz festival and wacky events such as the mullet toss. There are food festivals for seafood, sausage, bushwackers and crawfish, and there are fitness events such as the Double Bridge Run and the St. Patty’s prediction race. There are lively parades, whether it’s Mardi Gras floats or a decked-out boats. Whatever your style, there’s a special event for you in the Pensacola Bay Area.

Polar Bear Dip. Jan. 1. The Flora-Bama Lounge at the Florida-Alabama line hosts this popular, annual splash-around in the Gulf of Mexico. (850) 492-0611.

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.

McGuire’s 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.

Pensacola Wine Festival. April 2-4. Sample more than 100 wines from around the world while Pensacola’s top restaurants lead cooking demonstrations. (850) 434-5371, 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, www.jazzpensacola.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.

26th Annual Pensacola Crawfish Festival. May 7-9. Held along the bay in Bartram Park, indulge at one of the largest crawfish boils in Florida. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org.

7th Annual Outside Art Fair. May 15-16. Celebrate warm spring weather with nearly 100 local artists, live entertainment, good food and children’s activities on the bay at Bartram Park. (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 and jazz to rock-n-roll. (850) 438-6505.

Bands on the Beach. Tuesdays, May-Sept. Celebrate summer at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach with local musical favorites. (850) 932-2257.

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.

Sounds of Summer. June-Aug. The beat goes on in Pensacola Beach with this free concert series most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Quietwater Shell on the Boardwalk. (850) 932-1500

Pensacola Beach Air Show. July. This must-see event features a show by the world-famous Blue Angels. (850) 932-2257.

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

Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show. Nov. 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. Nov. Talented artists bring new music to the Gulf Coast. (850) 492-7664, www.fbisf.com.

Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. Nov. 5-7. Browse more than 200 fine art and hand-made craft exhibitors in Pensacola’s historic Seville Square. www.ggaf.org.

Holiday Evening in Olde Seville Square. Dec. Get in the holiday spirit with the Christmas concert outdoors under the oaks. (850) 438-6505.

Lighted Boat Parade. Dec. Decorated vessels parading against the dark December sky delight those watching from the shores along Portofino Boardwalk. The nautical parade officially delivers Santa Claus to the Island. (850) 932-1500.

For information on the top annual vents and festivals in Florida, visit http://www.topeventsusa.com/state-events-florida.html

For more information about Pensacola please visit http://www.visitpensacola.com/