GRANT RECIPIENTS SELECTED FOR THE TWELFTH ANNUAL PENSACOLA FOO FOO FESTIVAL, OCT. 30 – NOV. 10, 2025
Date Posted: May 21, 2025
Foo Foo Fest Celebrates 12 Years of Arts & Culture with 10 Grant-Funded Events in 2025
PENSACOLA, FLA. (MAY 21, 2025) – Today, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival Committee announced the public grant scoring for the twelfth annual Foo Foo Festival, naming 10 grant recipients and allocating more than $450,000 in grant funding for this year’s events. This year’s grant winners include 309 Punk Project, Friends of Downtown, Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Jazz for Justice, Night Moves Inc, PenArts, Pensacola Little Theatre, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola State College, and Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. The 2025 Foo Foo Festival will take place in Pensacola, Fla. from Oct. 30 – Nov. 10, 2025.
The 2025 grant recipients will produce a series of events from the categories of art, live music, live theatre, anime, and more at this year’s annual cultural celebration. Non-profit organizations that were not selected, and for-profit partners who are interested in participating, are encouraged to do so as a “Friend of Foo,” receiving local, regional, and national visibility during the 12-day event via Foo Foo Fest’s regional marketing campaign. To apply as a “Friend of Foo,” interested parties should visit FooFooFest.com.
“Last year, Foo Foo Fest had the opportunity to celebrate the arts in a powerful way, welcoming award-winning musicians for one-night-only concerts, world premiere operatic performances, hosting Pensacola’s first-ever anime convention, and so much more,” said Therese Felth McKenzie, Chair of Pensacola Foo Foo Festival & Vice President of ACE Pensacola. “This Fall, we are thrilled to welcome a class of returning Foo Foo Fest presenters, and we look forward to showcasing immersive displays of art and theatre, world premiere performances, collaborative presentations, returning festivals, and more to visitors to Escambia County and our local community.
The 2025 grant recipients include:
309 Punk Project is the only artist-run nonprofit organization in the South committed solely to archiving the creative efforts of the punk culture of our region. It is 309 Punk Project’s primary goal to serve the local and regional community as an archive, residency, and venue for divergent practices in DIY culture and contemporary art that critically examines the sociopolitical cultural moment that is shaping all our lives. In 2025, 309 Punk Project will present HalloZine Fest, a two-day interactive celebration of zine culture and DIY art. Featuring zine exhibitions, hands-on workshops, artist talks, and a Halloween-themed party with live music, the event invites attendees to explore independent publishing and punk-inspired creativity that highlights Pensacola’s vibrant underground arts scene.
The mission of Friends of Downtown is to enhance the district’s quality of life and economic success by creating a cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable environment. Friends of Downtown will present Afterburn, a large-scale suspended art installation in Downtown Pensacola, created in collaboration with internationally-renowned artist Tomislav Topic. Evoking the spirit of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and powered by wind and light, the installation will offer a free, accessible, and ever-changing visual experience for all ages.
Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida
The Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Inc. (JAS of NWFL) is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization, with membership consisting of both individuals and interested organizations. The Society’s mission is to work toward fostering and promoting stronger ties of friendship and understanding between the U.S. and Japan. The goal is to cultivate and enrich mutually beneficial relationships between the U.S. and Japan, based on a spirit of goodwill. For its second consecutive year, Japan-America Society will produce the HizashiCon Anime Festival, a vibrant three-day community-powered anime and Japanese pop culture convention celebrating creativity, inclusion, and cross-cultural connection.
Legal Services of North Florida & Jazz for Justice
Jazz for Justice is a premier annual jazz event benefiting the Legal Services of North Florida, a nonprofit organization that serves low-income individuals and families across the Florida panhandle by providing free civil legal help to eligible clients. In its seventh year with the Foo Foo Festival, Jazz for Justice (JFJ) plans to expand its cultural and music offerings by bringing well-known musicians and local artists together for a unique jazz and blues festival in downtown Pensacola. Jazz for Justice will once again present a lineup of nationally recognized jazz talents.
Night Moves is a nonprofit organization with the purpose of establishing a safe place for musicians, artists, and their associated communities to express themselves in creative and positive ways. Returning for its third year, Night Moves Fest will again serve as one of the Foo Foo Festival’s anchor events, transforming the waterfront amphitheater at Community Maritime Park into a high-energy celebration of indie and alternative music. Featuring national headliners alongside regional and local talent, the one-day festival will feature live music across multiple stages, food trucks, an art garden, and a vendor market, all set against Pensacola’s scenic bayfront.
PenArts is a non-profit (501c3) that brings theatrical arts to all members of the Pensacola community and professional theatrical productions to an already vibrant Pensacola theatre scene. In 2025, PenArts will present the professional world premiere of The Luck, a new musical written and performed by Nashville’s popular folk/bluegrass band The Lubben Brothers. This historic debut in Pensacola will run for six performances at The Gordon, offering audiences a unique blend of theatre and live concert experience. Based on a Bret Harte novella, The Luck tells a moving tale of hope, redemption, and the California Gold Rush, appealing to fans of musical theatre, bluegrass music, and American history.
Pensacola Little Theatre is a non-profit community theatre that has been providing diverse theatrical experiences in Northwest Florida since 1936. Pensacola Little Theatre presents programs such as musicals, comedies, dramas, and children’s shows; adult and youth classes in acting and other theatre skills; a variety of volunteer opportunities; and thrilling, mission-based fundraisers. This year, blending Shakespeare, 60s rock, and immersive theatre, Somebody to Love will be a building-wide, multi-sensory experience inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Guests will explore the newly renovated Clark Family Cultural Center as scenes unfold room by room, soundtracked by hits from The Zombies, Jefferson Airplane, and others. With 12 performances over 12 days, this immersive musical journey — complete with rooftop speakeasies and surreal encounters — anchors the Foo Foo Festival’s opening and closing weekends while offering weekday magic.
The mission of Pensacola Opera is to enrich the culture of Northwest Florida by producing professional opera performances, educational programs, and other opera-related community events for people of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. In 2025, Pensacola Opera fuses high fashion, iconic rock anthems, and operatic power in Rock the Runway: Amped — a bold, immersive event at the historic Saenger Theatre. Featuring custom couture inspired by opera’s greatest heroines, live mashups by the White Tie Rock Ensemble and international opera singers, and a catwalk showcasing local boutiques, this electrifying show will blur the lines between concert and couture. With original orchestrations by Broadway arranger Joseph Brent, Rock the Runway is a one-night-only spectacle of glam, grit, and artistic fusion—unlike anything Pensacola has seen before.
Pensacola State College is a public, comprehensive community college that was founded as Pensacola Junior College in 1948. As the oldest and largest college in the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola State College serves traditional and non-traditional students in Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama. In 2025, Pensacola State College will present Wandering Without Purpose, an art exhibit by Relja Penezic and Victoria Jordanova featuring paintings, video art, and an interactive sound installation. The free exhibit will run throughout the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival at the Anna Lamar Switzer Gallery.
The mission of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra is to promote the well-being of the greater Pensacola community through excellence in live symphonic music and lifelong learning through engaging musical activities. In 2025, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will present a one-night performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons at The Sanctuary, returning to a historic venue for Foo Foo Festival. This special chamber concert, led by Music Director Peter Rubardt, celebrates the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra’s 100th Anniversary.
Individual event details and additional partners will be added and announced on the Foo Foo Festival website in the months leading up to this fall’s kickoff. For a detailed festival FAQ, general information, continuing news, and general updates visit FooFooFest.com or follow Foo Foo Festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
ABOUT ART, CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, INC. (ACE):
ACE is a nonprofit organization that receives Federal, State of Florida, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, corporate, foundation, and personal funds. ACE disperses these funds through an equitable granting process to nonprofit arts, culture, and entertainment organizations throughout Escambia County, Fla., and promotes Escambia County as an arts and cultural destination through the annual Foo Foo Festival and other marketing efforts. For more information about ACE, visit www.acepensacola.org.
