The Pensacola Foo Foo Festival Committee announces the launch of the 2025 Foo Foo Festival website, detailing the day-by-day calendar of events for the 12th annual iteration, with more events to be added in the coming months, including those presented by Friends of Foo.
This year’s Foo Foo season is highlighted by the 2025 grant recipients, including the 309 Punk Project, Friends of Downtown, Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Jazz for Justice, Night Moves Inc, PenArts, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola State College, and Pensacola Symphony Orchestra.
The Foo Foo Fest Committee invites local organizations that are hosting events that fit the nature of the Foo Foo Festival, occurring during the scheduled event dates of Oct. 30 – Nov. 10, 2025, to submit to become a Friend of Foo. Submissions for 2025 Friends of Foo are open now through Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Becoming a Friend of Foo adds organization events to the overall event lineup and Foo Foo Fest website, as well as integrates them into Foo Foo Fest’s regional advertising campaign. Eligible organizations include:
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Local non-profit organizations that submitted their events for a grant but did not receive a grant this year
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Local organizations that never applied for a grant, but are putting on events during Oct. 30 – Nov. 10, 2025
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Local for-profit businesses, such as venues, hotels, restaurants, bars, and others that are hosting events during Oct. 30 – Nov. 10, 2025
There is a submission and approval process for the Friend of Foo program. If accepted, the organization will be notified. Click here to apply!
The 2025 grant-funded events include:
Friends of Downtown Presents “Afterburn:” October 30 – November 10, 2025
The mission of Friends of Downtown is to enhance the district’s quality of life and economic success by creating a cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable environment. Friends of Downtown will present Afterburn, a large-scale suspended art installation in Downtown Pensacola, created in collaboration with internationally-renowned artist Tomislav Topic. Evoking the spirit of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and powered by wind and light, the installation will offer a free, accessible, and ever-changing visual experience for all ages from October 30 to November 10, 2025.
Pensacola Little Theatre Presents “Somebody to Love:” October 30 – November 10, 2025
Pensacola Little Theatre is a non-profit community theatre that has been providing diverse theatrical experiences in Northwest Florida since 1936. Pensacola Little Theatre presents programs such as musicals, comedies, dramas, and children’s shows; adult and youth classes in acting and other theatre skills; a variety of volunteer opportunities; and thrilling, mission-based fundraisers. This year, blending Shakespeare, 60s rock, and immersive theatre, Somebody to Love will be a building-wide, multi-sensory experience inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Guests will explore the newly renovated Clark Family Cultural Center as scenes unfold room by room, soundtracked by hits from The Zombies, Jefferson Airplane, and others. With 12 performances over 12 days (October 30 – November 10, 2025), this immersive musical journey — complete with rooftop speakeasies and surreal encounters — anchors the Foo Foo Festival’s opening and closing weekends while offering weekday magic.
Pensacola State College Presents “Wandering Without Purpose:” October 30 – November 10, 2025
Pensacola State College is a public, comprehensive community college that was founded as Pensacola Junior College in 1948. As the oldest and largest college in the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola State College serves traditional and non-traditional students in Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama. In 2025, Pensacola State College will present Wandering Without Purpose, an art exhibit by Relja Penezic and Victoria Jordanova featuring paintings, video art, and an interactive sound installation. The free exhibit will run throughout the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival at the Anna Lamar Switzer Gallery, with a lecture & reception on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
309 Punk Project’s HalloZine Festival: October 30 – 31, 2025
309 Punk Project is the only artist-run nonprofit organization in the South committed solely to archiving the creative efforts of the punk culture of our region. It is 309 Punk Project’s primary goal to serve the local and regional community as an archive, residency, and venue for divergent practices in DIY culture and contemporary art that critically examines the sociopolitical cultural moment that is shaping all our lives. In 2025, 309 Punk Project will present HalloZine Fest, a two-day interactive celebration of zine culture and DIY art taking place October 30-31, 2025. Featuring zine exhibitions, hands-on workshops, artist talks, and a Halloween-themed party with live music, the event invites attendees to explore independent publishing and punk-inspired creativity that highlights Pensacola’s vibrant underground arts scene.
Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida Presents HizashiCon: October 31 – November 2, 2025
The Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Inc. (JAS of NWFL) is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization, with membership consisting of both individuals and interested organizations. The Society’s mission is to work toward fostering and promoting stronger ties of friendship and understanding between the U.S. and Japan. The goal is to cultivate and enrich mutually beneficial relationships between the U.S. and Japan, based on a spirit of goodwill. For its second consecutive year, Japan-America Society will produce the HizashiCon Anime Festival, a vibrant two-day community-powered anime and Japanese pop culture convention celebrating creativity, inclusion, and cross-cultural connection. This year’s events will take place October 31 – November 2, 2025, including special guests like Trickle Utaite (V-Tuber), John Patneaude (Voice Talent), Drew Breedlove (Voice Talent), Bryson Baugus (Voice Talent), Brandon Loera (Voice Talent), Felecia Angelle (Voice Talent), and others.
Legal Services of North Florida Presents Jazz for Justice: November 2, 2025
Jazz for Justice is a premier annual jazz event benefiting the Legal Services of North Florida, a nonprofit organization that serves low-income individuals and families across the Florida panhandle by providing free civil legal help to eligible clients. In its seventh year with the Foo Foo Festival, Jazz for Justice (JFJ) plans to expand its cultural and music offerings by bringing well-known musicians and local artists together for a unique jazz and blues festival in downtown Pensacola. Jazz for Justice will once again present a lineup of nationally recognized jazz talents on Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra Presents Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” at The Sanctuary: November 2, 2025
The mission of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra is to promote the well-being of the greater Pensacola community through excellence in live symphonic music and lifelong learning through engaging musical activities. In 2025, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will present a one-night performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons at The Sanctuary on Sunday, November 2, 2025, returning to a historic venue for Foo Foo Festival. This special chamber concert, led by Music Director Peter Rubardt, celebrates the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra’s 100th Anniversary.
PenArts Presents “The Luck:” November 4 – 9, 2025
PenArts is a non-profit (501c3) that brings theatrical arts to all members of the Pensacola community and professional theatrical productions to an already vibrant Pensacola theatre scene. In 2025, PenArts will present the professional world premiere of The Luck, a new musical written and performed by Nashville’s popular folk/bluegrass band The Lubben Brothers. This historic debut in Pensacola will run for six performances at The Gordon from November 4 through November 9, 2025, offering audiences a unique blend of theatre and live concert experience. Based on a Bret Harte novella, The Luck tells a moving tale of hope, redemption, and the California Gold Rush, appealing to fans of musical theatre, bluegrass music, and American history.
Pensacola Opera Presents “Rock the Runway: Amped:” November 5, 2025
The mission of Pensacola Opera is to enrich the culture of Northwest Florida by producing professional opera performances, educational programs, and other opera-related community events for people of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. In 2025, Pensacola Opera fuses high fashion, iconic rock anthems, and operatic power in Rock the Runway: Amped — a bold, immersive event at the historic Saenger Theatre. Featuring custom couture inspired by opera’s greatest heroines, live mashups by the White Tie Rock Ensemble and international opera singers, and a catwalk showcasing local boutiques, this electrifying show will blur the lines between concert and couture. Taking place Wednesday, November 5, 2025, with original orchestrations by Broadway arranger Joseph Brent, Rock the Runway: Amped is a one-night-only spectacle of glam, grit, and artistic fusion—unlike anything Pensacola has seen before.
Night Moves Inc Presents Night Moves Music Fest: November 8, 2025
Night Moves is a nonprofit organization with the purpose of establishing a safe place for musicians, artists, and their associated communities to express themselves in creative and positive ways. Returning for its third year, Night Moves Music Fest will again serve as one of the Foo Foo Festival’s anchor events, transforming the waterfront amphitheater at Community Maritime Park into a high-energy celebration of indie and alternative music. Night Moves Music Fest will take place Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, featuring nationally-recognized headliners Japanese Breakfast, Dashboard Confessional, and Joyce Manor, and local and regional acts like Origami Angel, Wishy, Mspaint, Ben Loftin and The Family, Ego Death, Katie Dineen, Lights with Fire, and Marigold’s Apprentice. The one-day festival will feature live music across multiple stages, food trucks, an art garden, and a vendor market, all set against Pensacola’s scenic bayfront.
Additional event details and additional partners will be added and announced on the Foo Foo Festival website in the months leading up to this fall’s kickoff. For a detailed festival FAQ, general information, continuing news, and general updates, visit FooFooFest.com or follow Foo Foo Festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.