"If we were trying to open this Thursday, I'm not sure it would be taking place," Katie King, who handles public relations for the fair, told the Pensacola News Journal on Oct. 13. She was talking about Oct. 15, the week the fair would usually open.
The fair opens today instead, and it runs through Nov. 1 at 6655 W. Mobile Highway. That one-week delay is why it's happening at all. The calendar matters to you too. The online Super Saver tickets stopped selling at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 21, so every ticket now costs the gate price. With no online discount left, the day you go is the biggest factor in what you pay. Over the next eleven days, the fair offers a different discount nearly every day, and one of them helps with storm recovery too.
What Isaias did to the fairgrounds
Isaias made landfall near Destin late on Friday, Oct. 9. Winds in Pensacola reached 92 mph, the PNJ reported. On Mobile Highway, damage was light. King told the PNJ the buildings "miraculously survived without huge impact." Most of the damage was wind on metal roofs, and staff were repairing it around the clock.
For several days after the storm, the fairgrounds served as a staging area for about 5,000 Florida Power and Light trucks working on outages in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. FPL was expected to finish before fair setup started around Oct. 20. King also said the fair crew could run its own generators if the power work went long. So the lot where the line trucks parked is now where the rides stand.
One part of the fair could look thinner this year. King warned that many Santa Rosa County farms were hit hard, and that could affect the livestock shows. As of Oct. 13, nothing else on the schedule had changed.
Tonight costs $1 to get in
Thursday, Oct. 22, is opening night. The gates are open from 4 to 11 p.m., and admission is $1 with $1 rides. The Cat Country 98.7 BIG Lip Sync Battle starts at 7 p.m. on the Pepsi Open-Air Stage.
On most other nights, admission is $14 for ages 12 and up and $6 for ages 4 to 11. Kids 3 and under get in free. Parking is $10 all eleven days, and you can pay at the main booth or in cash on your way out. That makes tonight the night parking costs more than getting in.
With Super Saver gone, the daily specials are the discount
The fair's daily pages list a deal for nearly every day, and most are aimed at a specific group. Here they are, grouped by who they're for:
- Families with kids 11 and under. Kids get in free from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, and again on Saturday, Oct. 31. Oct. 31 also has a sensory-friendly period from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Groups of two. Buddy Day on Sunday, Oct. 25, gets two people in for the price of one from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Military households. Also on Oct. 25, eligible active-duty and retired military members and their spouses pay $7.
- First responders. Admission is $7 with ID on Monday, Oct. 26. Admission is also free for women from 4 to 6 p.m. that day, and a ride handstamp costs $27.
- Teachers. Admission is $7 with ID on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and a ride handstamp costs $32.
- Anyone with three cans of food. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, three cans for Manna Food Pantries take $3 off adult admission.
- Visitors 55 and older. Admission is $7 on Thursday, Oct. 29, which opens at 2 p.m.
- Late-night riders. Midnight Madness runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Oct. 23 and again on Oct. 30, priced at $35.
- Everyone, at the end. Admission is $7 for all ages at the Last Blast on Sunday, Nov. 1, and a ride handstamp costs $32.
The weekdays have a built-in discount too. Adult admission drops to $12 from Oct. 26 through Oct. 29.
Here's what those prices mean for a household of two adults and two kids ages 4 to 11, counting gate admission and $10 parking. Rides are extra.
| When you go | Admission for four | With parking |
|---|---|---|
| Opening night, Oct. 22 | $4 | $14 |
| A regular weekend evening | $40 | $50 |
| Monday through Thursday, Oct. 26 to 29 | $36 | $46 |
| Saturday before 2 p.m., Oct. 24 or 31 | $28 | $38 |
| Last Blast, Nov. 1 | $28 | $38 |
Arriving on a Saturday at 11 a.m. instead of after dinner saves $12. That's about what a pre-storm online ticket would have saved this family. If you missed the Oct. 21 deadline, an early Saturday arrival gets you close to the same price.
Online ride wristbands sold for $33.05 for any day and $27.88 for Monday through Thursday, and they didn't include admission. Those sales are over as well. The Monday handstamp at $27 is now the lowest posted ride price after opening night's $1 rides.
Wednesday's food drive matters more this year
This year, the Manna Food Pantries truck at the main entrance, directly in front of the ticket booth, is collecting cans the week after a storm knocked out power across the area. As of the city's 5 p.m. update on Oct. 13, FPL listed 17,930 Escambia County customers still without power. You drop off three cans, get a coupon, and take $3 off adult admission.
Lauren Alaina plays that night at 8:30 p.m., an hour later than most headliners on the lineup. If you want a seat, the extra hour gives you time to drop off cans first.
The stage lineup, and the Friday that's still unconfirmed
Every show on the Pepsi Open-Air Stage is free with admission. Seating is first-come, first-served from the time the fair opens each day, and there are no reserved seats.
- Oct. 23: The Band Perry, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 24: Hunter Hayes, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 25: Glenn Leonard's Temptations Revue, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 26: John Foster, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 27: White Tie Rock Ensemble's Monsters of Rock, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 28: Lauren Alaina, 8:30 p.m.
- Oct. 29: Bee Gees Now, 3:30 and 7 p.m.
- Oct. 31: The Lacs, 7:30 p.m.
Some of these headliners fall on discount days. Thursday, Oct. 29, has a 3:30 p.m. Bee Gees Now show, $7 admission for visitors 55 and older, and a 2 p.m. opening, so you can see the afternoon set and leave before the evening crowd. Hunter Hayes plays Oct. 24, the same day kids get in free in the morning. A family could come at 11 a.m., stay into the evening, and keep their seats. Admission covers the stage, the livestock events and the rest of the grounds, the PNJ noted.
Friday, Oct. 30, is still unsettled. The fair's main lineup page lists LOCASH at 7:30 p.m. that night. The fair's own page for that day still reads "Artist To Be Announced." Colt Ford had the slot in the lineup WEAR-TV published on Aug. 31. If Oct. 30 is your night, check with the fair before you plan around the show.
Off the stage, Reithoffer Shows is bringing more than 50 rides. Robinson's Racing Pigs are back after several years away, on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, the two kids-free Saturdays. WEAR's lineup story also listed the Sea Lion Splash, the Off Axis High Dive Show and Reno's Reptiles.
Hours, and why the fair has a bigger role this fall
Gate hours change a lot from day to day:
- Thursday, Oct. 22: 4 to 11 p.m.
- Fridays, Oct. 23 and 30: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
- Saturdays, Oct. 24 and 31: 11 a.m. to midnight
- Sunday, Oct. 25: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 26 to 28: 4 to 11 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: 2 to 11 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Only the two Saturdays, the Sunday of Oct. 25 and the Last Blast open before 2 p.m. That's why the kids-free windows are limited to Saturdays.
The fair also stands out this fall because many usual weekend spots are still closed. As of Oct. 13, the City of Pensacola was asking everyone to stay out of all city parks and off playgrounds until inspections finish, after the storm damaged amenities and knocked down dozens of trees. Bayview Senior and Community centers, Gull Point and East Pensacola Heights were still closed, and so was Osceola Golf Course. King told the PNJ she hoped that "everyone will have a little bit of normalcy back and will want to just go do something fun and eat some fun food, relax, giggle."
Schedules can still change after a storm like this one, and the fair says it posts real-time updates on its Facebook page. The full daily schedule is at pensacolafair.com.
Enjoy the fair, whichever night you pick. Whenever you're ready to talk about the Pensacola market, Malinda Metzger is happy to share what she's seeing around town. Schedule Your Free Local Market Consultation.
