12 Grant-Funded Events in 2026
PENSACOLA, FLA. (APRIL 30, 2026) – Today, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival Committee announced the public grant scoring for the thirteenth annual Foo Foo Festival, naming 12 grant recipients and allocating nearly $500,000 in grant funding for this year’s events. This year’s grant winners include 309 Punk Project, Ballet Pensacola, Fiesta Pensacola, Friends of Downtown, Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida, Night Moves Inc, PenArts, Pensacola MESS Hall, Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola State College, Pensacola Opera, and Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. The 2026 Foo Foo Festival will take place in Pensacola, Fla., from October 29, 2026, through November 9, 2026.
The 2026 grant recipients will produce a series of events across the categories of fine art, live music, dance, anime, immersive theatre, and more at this year’s cultural celebration.
“We are thrilled with the outcome of this year’s grant scoring, and we look forward to presenting another unforgettable year of events celebrating the rich culture and community that exists here in Pensacola,” said Warren Sonnen, Chairperson, Pensacola Foo Foo Festival. “This year, we look forward to showcasing the return of seasoned Foo Foo Festival alum as we prepare for another dynamic round-up of events this Fall.”
The 2026 grant recipients include:
309 Punk Project
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 the 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 lives. In 2026, Punk Project will present the return of HalloZine Fest, a two-day interactive arts event from October 29 – 30, 2026, celebrating the resurgence of Zine culture through workshops, exhibitions, film, and live performances.
Ballet Pensacola
The mission of Ballet Pensacola is to enhance the cultural life of the Pensacola community by developing an appreciation and knowledge of dance by producing quality dance performances and exceptional dance training. In 2026, Ballet Pensacola will present “Carnival of the Animals” – a collaborative, family-focused event uniting Ballet Pensacola and the Pensacola Humane Society to blend high-quality dance with community engagement during the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival, November 1 – 3, 2026. Inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns’ classic composition, the production will feature multiple performances with young dancers, elaborate costumes, puppetry, and interactive elements, culminating in a lively Parade of Animals.
Fiesta Pensacola
The mission of Fiesta Pensacola is to celebrate the city’s rich heritage, promote tourism, and build pride in Pensacola through festive activities that enhance the quality of life in the Pensacola community. On November 5, 2026, Fiesta Pensacola will present Living Museum – an immersive, interactive cultural event at the Pensacola Museum of History that transforms the space into a living timeline of the city’s 467-year history through costumed performances and first-person storytelling.
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 Lightspill, a large-scale, temporary public art installation that transforms the historic Artel Gallery in downtown Pensacola into a striking visual landmark using cascading mirrored spheres that create the illusion of a fluid, reflective surface. Designed as an immersive and highly photogenic experience, the installation aims to attract residents and visitors alike. The installation will be on view from October 29, 2026, through November 9, 2026.
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 third 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, taking place October 31, 2026 – November 1, 2026.
Night Moves is a Pensacola-based nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the city’s music culture by attracting world-class artists while supporting emerging local talent, with Night Moves Music Fest serving as its flagship event with the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival. In 2026, Night Moves Music Fest will expand into a multi-day, citywide experience from October 30, 2026, through November 8, 2026, activating multiple downtown venues.
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 2026, PenArts will present the highly theatrical musical, SIDE SHOW, by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger for the first time in Pensacola. The production will be expanded into an immersive, circus-inspired experience at The Gordon from October 30, 2026, through November 8, 2026.
Pensacola MESS Hall
The mission of Pensacola MESS Hall is to inspire curiosity, experimentation, and creative problem-solving through exploration of math, engineering, science, and stuff. From October 30 – November 9, 2026, the Pensacola MESS Hall will present Science on the Street, transforming downtown Pensacola into an interactive science experience focused on the physics and perception of sound. The initiative will feature multiple Sound Booth sessions and hands-on installations along Palafox Street, designed to engage audiences of all ages as they explore how sound is created and travels.
Pensacola Museum of Art
The Pensacola Museum of Art aims to facilitate the preservation, understanding, and engagement of visual culture for audiences in the Northwest Florida region and beyond. In 2026, the Pensacola Museum of Art will present a multi-day series of events entitled STEAM2026: Exploring Wonder – an exhibition featuring artist talks, performances, workshops, and public engagement opportunities. Programming begins on November 3, 2026, with a collaborative performance by Nathalie Miebach and a Pensacola Symphony Orchestra string quartet interpreting weather data, followed by additional artist talks, panels, and themed tours for families and adults on Thursday and Friday evenings. The series culminates in a free public day on Saturday, November 7, 2026, featuring hands-on activities and exhibitions, along with fee-based workshops led by nationally recognized artists featured in the triennial. Together, these events are designed to spark curiosity, expand access to contemporary art, and deepen community interaction with the museum’s STEAM-focused programming.
Pensacola Opera
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. On November 4, 2026, Pensacola Opera will fuse high fashion, iconic rock anthems, and operatic power in the return of Rock the Runway: Living Art at Saenger Theatre — an immersive event blending opera, fashion, dance, and visual art into a theatrical runway experience. Building on last year’s success, the production features opera singers, Ballet Pensacola dancers, a live band, and community models who bring iconic operatic scenes to life through a fusion of classical arias and contemporary music, enhanced by large-scale projections and storytelling.
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. From November 2, 2026, through November 5, 2026, will present a multi-event program exploring the rapidly evolving and controversial role of artificial intelligence in art, highlighting how machine learning is reshaping creative practice through generation, augmentation, and analysis of visual media. The centerpiece of the series is Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, whose work and persona challenge traditional boundaries between human and machine creativity while prompting reflection on digital identity, algorithmic influence, and the future of art. The programming includes a signature live demonstration and panel discussion at the Saenger Theatre on November 3, 2026, alongside additional lectures, receptions, and a family-focused event in partnership with the Pensacola MESS Hall, featuring experts from institutions such as the Institute of Human and Machine Cognition and Persona AI. Ai-Da’s work will be exhibited throughout the festival at Pensacola State College, creating an extended opportunity for public engagement with AI-driven art and dialogue around its cultural and ethical implications.
Pensacola Symphony Orchestra
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 2026, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra will present Mozart & Bizet on November 7, 2026, at the Saenger Theatre. Featuring Music Director Peter Rubardt, pianist Carter Johnson, and a full orchestra performing works by Stravinsky, Mozart, and Bizet, the program includes both an afternoon open dress rehearsal and an evening concert, offering accessible entry points for visitors, students, and families while showcasing a rare full-scale symphonic performance in a historic venue. Internationally acclaimed pianist Carter Johnson will be featured as soloist, bringing significant artistic prestige and global recognition to the event.
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 series of events via Foo Foo Fest’s regional marketing campaign. To apply as a “Friend of Foo,” interested parties should visit foofoofest.com/event-signup/. Applications open tomorrow, May 1, 2026.
For the first time, the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival also invites Escambia County-based restaurants, bars, and restaurateurs to apply to be featured as a “Foo Foo On the Menu” partner, showcasing the diversity of Pensacola’s food & beverage scene, and unique, limited-time menu items made available throughout the run of the 2026 Foo Foo Festival. Applications open tomorrow, May 1, 2026, and can be found foofoofest.com/foo-foo-on-the-
Individual event details and additional partners for the thirteenth annual Pensacola Foo Foo Festival 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.
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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 acepensacola.org.