In celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival, the event’s inaugural Committee members and grant recipients from 2014 recently gathered with the 2023 Committee and grant recipients to honor 10 years of arts, culture & entertainment in Pensacola by recreating the original 2014 class picture featuring ACE Board members, Foo Foo Fest Committee members, grant-recipient organizations, and vendor partners.
Since the event’s inception, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival has become an annual staple, welcoming thousands of travelers year after year to the destination to experience Pensacola’s impressive artful offerings. In 2023, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival awarded nearly $500,000 in funding to 16 grant recipients – the highest number of grant recipients ever awarded.
2014 Committee members included David Bear (Founder/Chair), Lois Benson, Jane Birdwell (Curator), Maria Goldberg, Melissa Hackel, Steve Hayes, Dr. Brendan Kelly, and Ajit Patel.
2014 grant recipients included Ballet Pensacola, First City Art Center, Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival, Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Jazz Society of Pensacola, Pensacola Children’s Chorus, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola Sports Association, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Pensacon, Truth for Youth, and UWF Historic Trust.
2023 Committee members include Therese Felth McKenzie (Chair), Maria Goldberg (Past Chair), Nicole Stacey (Curator), Joani Delezen (Advertising and Marketing Liaison), Robbie Schrock (Public Relations Liaison), Warren Sonnen (Compliance), and Trang Taylor (Compliance).
2023 grant recipients included 309 Punk Project, Dixon School of Arts & Sciences, Fiesta Pensacola, First City Art Center, Legal Services of North Florida, Night Moves Inc., PenArts, Pensacola Children’s Chorus, Pensacola Civic Band, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola State College, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Veterans Memorial Park, and University of West Florida Historic Trust.
The Pensacola Foo Foo Festival concluded Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, and will return in Nov. 2024. For more information on this year’s events, visit FooFooFest.com.
