October 5, 2026
When: Wed., Nov. 4, 2026, 3:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: Plaza Ferdinand VII (309 S. Palafox St.), Pensacola.
Pensacola opens seven weeks of holiday events with this lighting night. Per Visit Pensacola: Santa photos start at 3:30 p.m. outside the Pensacola Museum of History, weather permitting. At 5 p.m. more than half a million lights come on along Palafox Street. Plaza Ferdinand hosts a one-night Palafox Market Holiday Edition from 4–8 p.m., with Winterfest’s mini-train running 5–8 p.m.
For 30A travelers it’s a full evening trip west. Downtown Pensacola’s site confirms the November 4 date.
Sources: Visit Pensacola – Holiday Lighting Ceremony · Downtown Pensacola