Bring your appetite, Fiesta’s Crawfish Festival returns to Seville Square this weekend from April 24-26, sponsored by the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
Celebrating its 41st year, Pensacola will gather around the picnic tables for piping hot crawfish plates, refreshing Bayou Bloody Mary beverages, arts and crafts vendors and lively zydeco tunes bringing a taste of Louisiana to Seville Square.
Fiesta Pensacola Executive Director Bridget Middleton considers the festival to be a cherished tradition she looks forward to each year.
“They (attendees) come specifically to sort of just be in the culture of Louisiana—hear the music, eat the food, enjoy themselves. It’s such a beautiful park to have the festival in, Fountain Park in Seville Square,” Middleton said. “I just love the whole feel and vibe of the festival. It’s all about having fun, enjoying food, enjoying music. Those are my favorite things.”
The main food attraction—the crawfish—will be boiled and prepared by Pensacola locals at the Cordova Crawfish Company, which brings the crawfish straight from Louisiana. The plates will come with all the fixings, including potatoes, corn and sausage.
While crawfish prices have gone up this past year, Middleton said they are holding prices for attendees to the same as last year: $30 per three-pound plate and $20 for the smaller, one-and-a-half-pound option.
You don’t need to be a crawfish fanatic to have a fun time at the festival though, and can enjoy a diverse variety of food from other vendors, including other varieties of seafood, Cajun classics and more. Also new this year will be a dedicated dessert area to cap off the meal with a sweet treat.
This year, the festival will also partner with Budweiser to celebrate its 150th anniversary on Saturday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., offering half-price draft Budweiser at $3 per pour. If you’re looking for a drink exclusive to the festival, stop by the Bayou Bar in Seville Square for a Bayou Bloody Mary served in a souvenir collectible cup.
What are Pensacola Crawfish festival hours?
Pensacola’s Crawfis Festival will run from April 24-26 with different operating hours each day, which are as follows:
How much is admission to the Pensacola Crawfish Festival?
Admission is $5 per day for adults, $2 per day for children ages 6-12 and free for children 5 and under.
Admission will be free for active-duty military by showing a military ID at the gate.
Admission gates are located on Government Street (across from Hub Stacey’s) and Zaragoza Street (across from Pensacola Bay Brewery.
Where do I park at the Pensacola Crawfish Festival?
Attendees will have options for paid parking close to the venue, provided by Winterfest, as well as free lots scattered throughout the city. Handicapped parking will be available each day of the festival at Bartram Park with the use of a permit.
For an interactive parking map, visit parkpensacola.com to view different locations and rates.
When in doubt, rideshares such as Uber or Lyft are always an option, Middleton suggested.
What is the 2026 Pensacola Crawfish Festival entertainment schedule?
There will be different live bands performing each day of the festival at the Main Music at Fountain Park. The entertainment schedule is as follows:
April 24:
April 25:
April 26:
Can pets come to the Pensacola Crawfish Festival?
While service animals are welcome, pets are not allowed on festival grounds per City of Pensacola Code, Section 4-2-33B.
To inquire about what qualifies a service animal, visit ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/ for full ADA requirements.
Where can I find more information on the Pensacola Crawfish Festival?
For full details and information, visit Fiesta’s website at fiestapensacola.org/crawfish-festival.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola’s Crawfish Festival starts on Friday. Here’s what to know
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
