Fall is festival season in Florida and Foo Foo Fest in Pensacola is a fun, fabulous festival making it worth trip to the Sunshine State.
What is a Foo Foo?
Foo Foo Fest is a 12-day culturally creative blend of performance and visual arts ranging from classic to 21st century. The sensory event is set in the beautiful Florida coastal community of Pensacola. Celebrating its sixth season, Art, Culture, and Entertainment, Inc. (ACE), is the nonprofit organization producing this cultural festival.
According to ACE, a “Foo Foo” is “An impromptu musical band known to come together on late 19th-century sailing vessels, consisting of members from the ship’s crew.” This festival brings together Pensacola’s various arts and cultural organizations, a modern-day Foo Foo.
Pensacola, Cultural Capital of the Southeastern U.S.
Recognized as home of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and sugar-white sand beaches and emerald green water, Pensacola is considered the Cultural Capital of the Southeastern United States. It is the only city on the Gulf Coast between Mobile, Ala., and Tampa, Fla., that has the cultural big five, a ballet, museum, opera, symphony, and theatre. The 12-day festival features all these performances.
Can’t Miss Foo Foo Fest Events
Highlights of this year’s event are Garrick Ohlsson, an internationally-acclaimed piano virtuoso; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; a performance of The Savannah Sipping Society, a play written by The Golden Girls writers; and the Fire and Rain art installation featuring billowing holographic strands suspended above blocks through a historic district.
StompFest 2019 hosted by comedian Haha Davis, aka “Mr. Big Fella,” is a must. It is based on “Stepping” which is over a century-old tradition with African American College fraternities and sororities. Rodney Mullen, “The Godfather of Modern Street Skating,” will perform a dazzling skating demonstration. This will take place at 3D Printsacola on “skulptures,” 3D printed skateable concrete fixtures. The skulptures are a collaboration with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition and the First City Arts Center. The design is by David Fries of IHMC and Mr. Mullens.
Interactive Events at Foo Foo Fest
Interactive experiences for cultural visitors include Painting with Axes. This is where participants throw axes at wood targets containing balloons filled with paint. Explore one of Pensacola’s historic districts by looking for 12 painted Barn Quilts in a 2-miles radius of Seville Square during the Gulf Coast Quilt Trail.
Additional activities are happening during Foo Foo Fest. These include the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show, The Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival, and the 34th Annual Frank Brown Songwriters Festival. During your visit, enjoy the beautiful beaches, culinary scene, and historic walking tours.
Plan Your Visit to Foo Foo Fest in Pensacola
Pensacola Foo Foo Festival
Oct. 31 – Nov. 11, 2019
Entrance fees and reservations may apply for events. Visit the website for schedule and applicable costs.
www.FooFooFest.com
Visitor Information about Pensacola: www.visitpensacola.com
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