WKRG News 5

44th annual Pensacola Seafood Festival kicks off

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Calling all seafood lovers: The 44th annual Pensacola Seafood Festival kicked off Friday.

The three-day festival takes place in downtown Pensacola at Seville Square.

The festival features a plethora of delicious seafood made fresh on-site from vendors all across the country. There are also art vendors selling jewelry to nautical-themed art.

Randy Brooks, an artist from Gainesville, Florida, came to the festival to sell his wood carvings made from cypress drift wood.

“I’m really enthused about the weather,” Brooks said of the conditions at the festival. “The food is tremendous. I’m right here by the food vendors and I’ve already eaten a bunch of food.”

Clay and Tina Ard came down from Georgia to attend the festival. The festival coincides with their anniversary.

“I had the shrimp scampi from Buona Fortuna and it is the best shrimp scampi in the world,” Tina Ard said. “I might have more.”

“I had the shrimp po’ boy at Nola’s,” said her husband. “It was excellent. Slammed full of shrimp.”

The festival will feature live music and plenty of activities for kids.

It runs Friday until 11 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The festival comes just days after Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson announced the city would start permitting large events again. The city paused permitting events due to a pike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

COVID-19 hospitalizations between Escambia Counties three hospitals dropped to 147 on Friday.

B Virtual Health and Wellness, alongside East Hill Pharmacy, are offering free COVID-19 vaccines at the seafood festival.