Pensacola Mardi Gras welcomes the Ice Flyers Foundation as the 2026 Season Sponsor! The 2026 Pensacola Mardi Gras Season presented by the Ice Flyers Foundation celebrates a partnership rooted in community spirit and giving back.
Get into the Mardi Gras mood at the first City-Wide Planning Meeting of the 2026 Season.
• Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025
• Location: Apple Annie’s inside Seville Quarter, Downtown Pensacola
• Time: Happy Hour begins at 5:00 p.m. (cash bar), meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.
• Cost: FREE and open to the public
With nearly 100 Krewes now active, and new ones forming regularly, the City-Wide Pensacola Mardi Gras Planning Meeting returns to ensure that the entire community is involved in shaping the season ahead. This meeting is a unique opportunity for all stakeholders—Krewes, local businesses, and the public—to review, plan, ask questions, and expand on the 2026 Mardi Gras schedule. Krewes are encouraged to present their upcoming events, including sharing dates, times, attendance and ticketing details. Additionally, businesses that cater to Krewes or the community, offering Mardi Gras-related wares, food, or services, are invited to showcase how they contribute to the broader Mardi Gras celebration.
Attendees of the City-Wide Planning Meeting will be the first to hear the official date of the highly coveted and most-anticipated event, The 2026 Pensacola Mardi Gras Mambo!
Additionally, another key topic for discussion at the first meeting will be the 2026 Fat Tuesday Celebration at Seville Quarter. Krewes can express their interest in hosting and decorating rooms for this event, transforming Seville into a lively French Quarter-style venue. However, the final selection of Krewes to host rooms will take place at the second and final City-Wide Planning Meeting on November 13, 2025, also at Seville Quarter. Doors for the first and second meeting will open at 5:00 p.m., with the discussion beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Pensacola Mardi Gras Inc. is thrilled to celebrate their partnership with the Ice Flyers Foundation! Born from Pensacola’s beloved professional hockey team, the Pensacola Ice Flyers—the Ice Flyers Foundation exists to strengthen the Gulf Coast through charitable initiatives, youth programs, and local outreach. Their sponsorship underscores a shared mission with Pensacola Mardi Gras: uniting our community through tradition, celebration, and generosity. Together, we’ll make the 2026 season one of the most spirited and impactful in Pensacola’s history.
Pensacola Mardi Gras Inc. would like to thank the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners and the Escambia County Tourist Development Commission for once again awarding a grant to support advertising efforts for the 2026 season. This funding aims to increase tourism, bringing more visitors to Pensacola and boosting the local economy, which helps grow the bed tax pool for future development.
Pensacola Mardi Gras Inc. would also like to recognize the City of Pensacola for their continued support by providing barricades and police for our parades. Their contributions are crucial to ensuring a safe and fun Mardi Gras season for the community. Pensacola Mardi Gras would not be the same without their help.
As the clearing house for everything Mardi Gras, Pensacola Mardi Gras Inc. is committed to fostering community engagement and offering a platform for Krewes, businesses, and individuals to contribute to the growing Mardi Gras festivities in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Pensacola’s 2026 Mardi Gras Season kicks off with the Mardi Gras Kick-Off Celebration on January 3, 2026, featuring the blessing of Krewe floats, a Royal Processional through Downtown Pensacola, and the ceremonial cutting of the King Cake. This is Pensacola’s unique and highly anticipated way to start the season. Krewes will be provided with instructions on how to register their organization and floats to be blessed. What is most important during the kickoff is the blessing of the Krewes, their floats, and the city, asking for a safe and fun 2026 Mardi Gras season. A priest, accompanied by a royal processional of elected officials, will perform the blessings.
Throughout the season, dozens of Mardi Gras Balls will take place, typically every Friday and Saturday, offering endless opportunities for fun and engagement. Some signature events to be highlighted at the City-Wide Planning Meeting include the Pin-and-Bead Swap hosted by the Krewe of Blues and the Manna Food Drive led by the Krewe of Sparta. Krewe of Lafitte Illuminate Parade at 7pm. The Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade follows on Saturday February 14, 2026, at 2pm rain or shine, and highlights our community celebration of Mardi Gras. In past years, the Grand Parade has featured around 6,000 participants and has drawn an estimated crowd of over 75,000, making it Downtown Pensacola’s largest event of the year. During the City-Wide Planning Meeting,
Pensacola Mardi Gras will provide more details about the Procession of Royalty before the Grand Parade, where all Krewe royalty will 2nd line along the parade route to introduce themselves to the community before parading with their Krewes on their floats. The Mardi Gras weekend celebration continues with the Krewe of Wrecks Parade on Pensacola Beach on Sunday, February 15, 2026, another key highlight of the season.
The season culminates on Fat Tuesday, February 17, 2026, with a sunset celebration centered at Seville Quarter and spilling into the streets of Downtown Pensacola. The evening will feature 2nd line processions through the streets, ending with the coronation of the 2027 King and Queen Priscus.
For more information and updates, visit the official Pensacola Mardi Gras website at
www.pensacolamardigras.com and follow Pensacola Mardi Gras on Facebook and Instagram.
