Mudbugs, Music and Racing Set for Crawfish Festival Weekend
26 in ’26! That’s right. For twenty-six years Pensacola Beach Crawfish Festival has been the weekend to chow down, throw down and shop around at Bamboo Willie’s and Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. This year’s event is set for Friday - Sunday, April 17 through 19 and includes 16 concerts, a 5K run, a crawfish race, art sales and fireworks.
The arrival of 156,000 crawfish, a truckload of potatoes, corn and onions, kicks off the spiciest weekend on Pensacola Beach. The Crawfish – a longtime Louisiana delicacy - will be celebrated beachstyle. So get ready to pinch some tails and wash the whole thing down with an ice-cold drink. Beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 17, guests can buy heaping servings of crawfish in two size choices with all the accompaniments served by volunteers from the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The longstanding tradition of Chamber volunteers selling the crawfish and working for tips has become somewhat of a contest among the business group. The shift that garners the most tips certainly earns bragging rights and the funds support various Chamber activities.
In order to meet the demand, Bamboo Willie’s will have Where Y’at Seafood, a professional crawfish purveyor and cooking company, return to the festival this year. They keep the recipe a secret but expect the mudbugs to be perfectly seasoned.
“If the weather is good we could easily sell between 5,500 and 6,000 pounds of crawfish,” said Bamboo Willie’s Managing Partner Robert Gleim, who organizes the festival.
Gleim wants families to come to the Festival. There is no charge and he has arranged special kid-friendly activities that are not the usual festival stuff.
“We have a strong entertainment line up this year that includes plenty of live music, and CAT Country Crawfish Races for kids on Saturday at 2 p.m. plus stilt walkers both days from 1 to 3 p.m.” added Gleim.
Saturday’s festival fun starts with the twelfth annual Crawfish Festival 5K run.
“The run adds another dimension to the event,” said Gleim. “It gives us an early morning activity, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to a local organization.”
The race will begin near Bamboo Willie’s in the Boardwalk parking lot, Saturday, April 18 at 8 a.m. and move east along Via de Luna and Panferio Drive and loop back out to the start/finish line. It’s a flat and fast scenic course. The awards party will begin immediately following the race at Bamboo Willie’s. Refreshments, including crawfish, will be served while the top three in each age group and overall male and female winners are recognized.
While there are no prizes for the best costume, it’s worth catching the race. Last year there were running crawfish and tutu-clad joggers.
Organizers are expecting hundreds to enter. If you want to be one of them, you can enter at runpensacola.com.
If you don’t enter the race, then you will have a chance to move your feet on the dance floor when the bands get amped up on stage. Some of the area’s best will perform on the Bamboo Willie’s stage and in the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk Amphitheatre. On Friday music starts at 1 p.m. with Colleen Sexton at Bamboo Willie’s. The palapa covered stage gets an early start with Ryan Dakota who plays at 8 a.m. at Saturday’s race awards party. Other entertainers include Goodbye August, Oliver Twist, Hired Guns and Rock Starfish.
Fireworks will light up the Saturday night sky at 8 p.m. They launch from a barge just offshore from the Boardwalk and will be visible from many soundfront locations.
“I never imagined when I started this festival, it would be still going and growing 26 years later,” said Gleim. “Make a day of it. Listen to some music, stroll the boardwalk and eat some crawfish. Stick around for fireworks.”
Sunday brings Blue Levee to the stage at noon. Bangarang Peter plays at 2:30 with Tyler Livingston and The Absolutes in concert at 5 p.m. There are acts scheduled for the Boardwalk’s waterfront amphitheatre all weekend. (For entire line up, see ad on page 12)
There is no charge to attend the festival and parking is free. For more information, go to www.PensacolaBeachCrawfishFestival.com.
Crawfish Serving Times
Friday 1p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.