JANUARY
Polar Bear Dip. Jan. 1. The Flora-Bama Lounge hosts this popular, annual splash-around in the Gulf of Mexico. (850) 492-0611, www.florabama.com

Polar Bear Plunge. Jan. 1. Wade, swim and scurry in Santa Rosa Sound at Paradise Bar & Grill to the finish line where black-eyed peas await. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Pensacola Beach Run. Jan. 16. A 5K, 10K and half-marathon course race winds along the waterfront on beautiful Pensacola Beach with a post-race party. www.pensacolarunners.com

Gallery Night. Jan. 28. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m. www.downtownpensacola.com

FEBRUARY
Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair. Feb. 26-27. Step back to the days of old with jousting exhibitions, falconry, medieval musicians, jesters, jugglers, fire breathers, belly dancers, bagpipers and more. (877) 429-8462, www.gcrf.net

Pensacola Double Bridge Run. Feb. 5. A 15K course takes runners over two bridges crossing Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound, from downtown to Pensacola Beach. Runners and walkers are also welcome at the 5K course and Kids Fun Run. (850) 434-2800, www.pensacolasports.com

Mardi Gras Kid and Kritter Krawl. Feb. 26. This walking parade on Pensacola Beach is open to children and pets. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

MARCH
Mardi Gras. March 4-8. One of the country’s original celebration sites, Pensacola and Pensacola Beach host family-oriented fun at numerous parades with lots of beads and moon pies. Perdido Key also hosts its version with a street party. (850) 434-1234

McGuire’s 5K Prediction Run. March 12. With more than 5,000 participants, it’s the nation’s largest prediction run. Awards go to the fastest as well as the most accurate in predicting the time it will take to complete the course. (850) 433-6789, www.mcguiresirishpub.com

Gallery Night. March 11. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m. www.downtownpensacola.com

Go Irish on the Island. March 16-20. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a pub crawl, green bikini contest, jig dancing contest, leprechaun hunt and other activities. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Beulahfest. March 18-20. Enjoy some of Nashville’s hottest country music stars, arts-and-crafts, carnival-style rides and of course, great sausage. (850) 944-3167, www.beulahfest.com

APRIL
Festival on the Green. April 1-2. University of West Florida’s annual spring event features a fine arts-and-crafts show, dog agility showcase, live music, sporting events, food and a children’s fair. (850) 474-2610, www.uwf.edu/festival

Pensacola JazzFest. April 2-3. Pensacola’s historic Seville Square hosts an event filled with great jazz performed by local and national talents. (850) 433-8382, www.jazzpensacola.com

Reggae Festival. April 2-3. Enjoy a weekend of live reggae music at Seville Quarter. (850) 434-6211, www.sevillequarter.com

White Sands Music Festival. April 14-16. Featuring food, arts-and-crafts vendors and non-stop jam sessions in the Farmers’ Opry House. (850) 994-6000, www.farmersopry.com

Pensacola Wine Festival. April 14-16. Sample a variety of wines from all over the world. (850)-434-5371, www.pensacolawinefestival.com

Pensacola Community Soulfest. April 16. Enjoy great soul music at this annual event in the West Pensacola Ballpark. (850) 438-4882

Mullet Man Triathlon. April 16. Push yourself to the limit on this scenic and exhilarating course. (850) 429-0611, www.florabama.com

27th Annual Pensacola Crawfish Festival. April 29-May 1. Held along the waterfront downtown, indulge at one of the largest crawfish boils in Florida. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org

27th Annual Interstate Mullet Toss. April 29-May 1. Perdido Key’s Flora-Bama Lounge hosts this wacky annual tournament that has participants compete in tossing an actual mullet across state lines. (850) 492-0611, www.florabama.com

5th Annual Goombay Gulf Coast. April 30-May 1. Feel the rhythm of some of the best regional and international reggae, calypso, steel drum bands and Caribbean music around, plus stilt-walkers, African dance and drum presentations and other activities. (850) 748-1728, www.goombaygulfcoast.com

MAY
Wet and Wild. May 15. Celebrate nature at this four-day event in Perdido Key. (850) 492-4660, www.perdidochamber.com

Fiesta 5K. May 1. Get into shape this spring, with this fun 5K downtown. www.pensacolarunners.com

Blue Angels Air Show. May 3-4. Especially for the Centennial of Naval aviation, the world-famous Blue Angels perform an additional air show. (850) 452-2583, www.blueangels.navy.mil

Gallery Night. May 20. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m. www.downtownpensacola.com

Perdido Key Wine and Art Festival. May 21. Enjoy samplings of wine paired with cheeses and fruits while perusing local arts-and-craft vendors. (850) 492-4660, www.visitperdido.com

Evenings in Olde Seville Square. Thursdays mid May-Aug. This well-attended summer concert series features a variety of musical styles from big band to jazz and from Broadway to modern dance. (850) 438-6505

Bands on the Beach. Tuesdays May-Oct. The beach’s favorite summer evening concert series with local musical favorites playing at the Gulfside Pavilion. (850) 932-2257

JUNE
Fiesta Days Celebration. June 2-10. This annual event celebrates the founding of Pensacola with a boat parade, street parade, sand-sculpting contest and more. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org

Sounds of Summer. June-Aug. The beat goes on in Pensacola Beach with this free concert series most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the boardwalk amphitheatre. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Shallow Water Slam. June. Redfish, flounder and speckled trout are the game in this tournament. Take-off and weigh-in will be at Flounder’s Chowder House on Pensacola Beach. www.pensacolakingmack.com

Bud Light King Mackerel/Cobia Tournament. June. See some of the biggest king mackerel and cobia caught at the largest two-day boat event in the Gulf of Mexico. www.pensacolakingmack.com

41st Annual Bill Hargreaves Fishing Rodeo. June 18-19. Great fishing from the Grand Lagoon Yacht Club, (850) 492-4660, www.visitperdido.com

41st Annual Pensacola International Billfish Tournament. June/July. The Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club hosts one of the country’s largest billfish tournaments at NAS Pensacola, which attracts around 600 anglers from all over the Southeast. (850) 453-4638, www.pbgfc.com

JULY
4th of July Celebration. July 4. The family-oriented, patriotic event held downtown is the largest 4th of July celebration on the Gulf Coast. Fireworks displays are also on Perdido Key and Pensacola Beach. (850) 434-1234

Ronald McDonald Firecracker 5K. July 4. Start the day with a fun run downtown. (850) 477-2273, www.rmhpensacola.org

Red, White and Blues Week. July 4-9.This week-long celebration on Pensacola Beach kicks off with a fireworks extravaganza and ends with the Blue Angels show. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Pensacola Beach Air Show. July 9. This must-see event features a show by the world-famous Blue Angels. (850) 932-2257

Gallery Night. July 15. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m. www.downtownpensacola.com

AUGUST
Bushwacker Festival and 5K. Aug. 5-7. This festival is centered around Pensacola’s favorite adult beverage: the milk chocolately bushwacker. Enjoy a fun run and a celebration on the boardwalk. (850) 434-1234

SEPTEMBER
3rd Annual Perdido Key Open. Sept. 16-18. Play beach volleyball right on the Gulf of Mexico. (850) 492-4660, www.perdidokeyopen.com

Jamaican Fest. Sept. 2-4. Featuring live music, The Kids Zone, sidewalk sale and the “Anything that Floats” race and bathtub races in Santa Rosa Sound. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Gallery Night. Sept. 16. Enjoy an evening of arts and culture by touring downtown art galleries open 5-9 p.m. www.downtownpensacola.com

4th Annual Taste of the Beach. Sept. 17-18. Get a sampling of island flavors from the area’s best chefs. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

34th Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival. Sept. 23-25. Sample a variety of mouth-watering seafood dishes, enjoy continuous live entertainment, shop at the many arts and crafts vendors and participate in a 5K. (850) 433-6512, www.fiestaoffiveflags.org

Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival. Sept. 26-Oct. 2. Original music comes to the island. (850) 341-0889, www.pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.com

OCTOBER
4th Annual Art and Wine Weekend. Oct. TBA Enjoy wine tastings and local art as you’re transported by trolley across the island. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Greek Festival. Oct/Nov. Traditional Greek dances, gifts, entertainment and dishes such as baklava, gyros and spanakopeta. (850) 433-2662, www.annunciationgoc.org

77th Annual Pensacola Interstate Fair. Oct. 20-30. Enjoy big-name entertainment, games, rides and exhibits. (850) 944-4500, www.pensacolafair.com

Annual Historic Haunted House Walking Tours. Oct. A family favorite for Halloween, the narrated tours are led by costumed guides, visiting more than 50 different sites. (850) 595-5985, www.historicpensacola.org

NOVEMBER
18th Annual Old Farmhouse Christmas. Nov. 4-6. Enjoy live music and holiday shopping with more than 100 vendors. Cow tours, hayrides and pony rides available. (850) 492-7502

16th Annual Santa Rosa Island Triathlon. Oct. TBA. A triathlon along Pensacola Beach for seasoned athletes. A sea turtle triathlon is also offered for kids. (850) 380-0741, www.sritri.org

Oktoberfest. Oct. The Villagio hosts this German-inspired festival with lots of fun, music, food and beer. (850) 492-4660

Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show. Nov 11-12. With Pensacola as their home base, the Blue Angels perform the season’s final show at Naval Air Station Pensacola. (850) 452-2583, www.blueangels.navy.mil

The Frank Brown Songwriters’ Festival. Nov. Musicians from across the world bring music to the Gulf Coast. (850) 492-7664, www.fbisf.com

Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival. Nov. 4-6. Browse more than 200 fine art and hand made craft exhibitors from around the country in Pensacola’s historic Seville Square. www.ggaf.org

Pensacola Marathon. Nov. This 26.2-mile scenic USATF-certified course is one of the last Boston Marathon Qualifiers in the Southeast. The course begins and ends in historic downtown and winds along Pensacola Bay. (850) 434-2800, www.pensacolamarathon.com

Creek Indian Tribe Indian Day Celebration. Nov. An annual Creek pow-wow in Pace featuring Native American dances, traditional food dishes and Native American vendors with authentic crafts. (850) 994-9633

5th Annual Martini Festival. Nov. Live music and martini sampling at the JellyFish Bar in Perdido Key. (850) 332–6532, www.jellyfishbar.com

Gallery Night. Nov. 18. Jump start the holiday season with an evening of arts and culture in the downtown art galleries, open 5-9 p.m. www.downtownpensacola.com

Seville Quarter Turkey Trot. Nov. Join the Seville Quarter Miler’s Club for a 5K run/walk to trim the waistline before Thanksgiving. (850) 434-6211, www.sevillequarter.com

DECEMBER
Season the Holidays with Island Spirit. Nov. 25-Dec. 31. Santa Rosa Island hosts numerous holiday events throughout the season. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com

Winterfest Trolley Tours. Nov. 25, Dec. 3, 9, 16-18. Trolleys act as theaters taking passengers to a series of interactive performances along a two-mile route in Historic Downtown Pensacola. (850) 435-0914, www.pensacolawinterfest.org

Annual Snowball Derby. Dec. 1-4. Auto racing fans will delight in the action at Five Flags Speedway. (850) 944-8400, www.fiveflagsspeedway.com

Holiday Evening in Olde Seville Square. Dec. Get in the holiday spirit with a concert outdoors under the oaks. (850) 438-6505

Lighted Boat Parade. Dec 9. The nautical parade officially delivers Santa Claus to the island. (850) 932-1500

Surfing Santa Parade. Dec. 11. Holiday floats wind their way down Santa Rosa Island’s main street. Santa rides atop his a red fire engine and visits with children. (850) 932-1500

Downtown Christmas Parade. Dec. 10. Downtown Pensacola comes alive with this lighted, family-friendly parade. www.coxchristmasparade.org

Big Lagoon’s Christmas in the Park. Dec. Enjoy hot chocolate and magical Christmas lights in this natural, waterfront setting. (850) 492-4660, www.visitperdido.com

Pelican Drop. Dec. 31. Families can enjoy a street-party atmosphere downtown with live music, a children’s area and fireworks, along with a 10-foot, half-ton illuminated pelican that will be dropped 100 feet at midnight. (850) 435-1603, www.pensacolapelicandrop.com

New Year’s Eve Fireworks. Dec. 31. End the year with a bang with a fireworks display over the Gulf of Mexico. (850) 932-1500, www.pensacolabeachchamber.com