—Also, Tuesday Night Processionals to Support Downtown During Construction—
Pensacola Mardi Gras is adapting to downtown’s “Reimagine Palafox” construction project with a temporary parade route change and a new series of Tuesday night events designed to bring crowds to local businesses during the first six weeks of the street’s closure.
Danny Zimmern, who has organized Pensacola Mardi Gras with Amy Newman for 25 years, announced the changes during this week’s podcast episode of “(We Don’t) Color On the Dog.”
Route Change
With Palafox Street closing Jan. 5 for construction, both major parades—the Krewe of Lafitte Parade on Friday, Feb. 13 and the Grand Mardi Gras Parade on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14—will follow a modified route for one year only.
- The new route starts traditionally on Spring Street, heads to Garden Street, then north on Palafox Street to Wright Street before returning to Garden Street. Here’s where it changes: Instead of turning south on Palafox as usual, parades will turn left (east) onto Garden, go one block to Jefferson Street, turn right, and proceed south on Jefferson Street to Main Street.
Essentially, the parade shifts one block east from Palafox to Jefferson for the Garden-to-Main stretch.
The biggest challenge? The Jefferson Street Parking Garage won’t be accessible once the streets close for the parade, eliminating a significant parking resource for Grand Parade spectators.
Tuesday Night Second Line Processionals
Mardi Gras wants to support downtown businesses during construction. Starting in January, the Mardi Gras community will host Tuesday night second-line processionals throughout the season.
These events will run in an oval pattern from Main to Garden on Palafox—the very street that will be closed for construction. Three to four krewes will participate each Tuesday, rotating starting locations weekly to spread foot traffic evenly among businesses.
- “The Mardi Gras crews are so fired up,” Zimmern said. “Really, to sort of have an excuse to have some fun downtown for Mardi Gras, but also to support those downtown businesses. That’s the big deal—we want everybody to be stronger coming out of this construction project.”
Each Tuesday event costs approximately $2,000 to cover the band and police presence. Officers will need to close side streets as processionals move through, though east-west streets like Romana and Intendencia will remain open. Organizers are currently seeking sponsors to fund these weekly events throughout January and February.
Season Kickoff Jan. 3
Before construction begins, Pensacola Mardi Gras will hold its traditional season kickoff on Saturday night, Jan. 3, in downtown Pensacola. Floats will line up in a circle at Jefferson, Palafox, and Tarragona inside Seville Quarter for a “parade in reverse”—floats parked while crowds walk around them.
The event includes cutting the community king cake and blessing the floats and krewes for a safe season. Twelfth Night, the traditional start of Mardi Gras, falls on Jan. 6 this year, but organizers moved the celebration to Saturday for better attendance.
The city will close Palafox on Monday, Jan. 5, immediately following the Saturday night kickoff.
25 Years of Growth
Pensacola Mardi Gras has grown dramatically since Zimmern and Newman took over 25 years ago. That first year featured just 18 entries in a downtown that was “nothing but real estate signs in the windows,” according to Zimmern.
- This year, 110 krewes are participating, with last year’s Grand Parade featuring 226 entries and over 6,000 people marching. The 2024 season generated 11,000 hotel room nights and an estimated $25 million economic impact.
Fat Tuesday falls on Feb. 17 this year, with festivities centered at Seville Quarter.
Want to sponsor a Tuesday night processional or participate in Mardi Gras events? Contact Pensacola Mardi Gras for details as the season approaches.
