It’s hard to believe, but another year has come and gone, and it’s time once again for Pensacola’s Pelican Drop Celebration! It’s the premiere New Year’s event on the Gulf Coast, and it happens right in our backyard. Patrons, residents, and visitors from all over the southeast will be lining Palafox Street in Downtown Pensacola, and this year promises to be the best ever!
The countdown celebration to 2013 will be kicking off at 5:00 PM on New Year’s Eve, and festivities will continue until 12:30 AM. The children’s area will be expanded this year, and will feature a kid’s countdown at 8:00 PM with the “bubble stomp” and confetti.
For the “grown-ups”, there will be live music on three different stages, featuring the Emerald Coast Blues Brothers, Steel Magnolia, Lucky Town, Cold Hard Truth, 
Whiskey River and the Wes Loper Band. There will be street performers as well to entertain while you walk to and from the main venues, and area restaurants will be open all night. Additional vendors will be also providing refreshments (but no alcohol sales).
Then at the stroke of midnight, our 20 foot pelican will light up the sky and descend amid cheers, fireworks and confetti! Move over Times Square…Pensacola knows how to have a New Year’s Party!
***Sponsored by the Downtown Improvement Board, they offer these tips: Arrive early- the intersection of Palafox and Government will be closed, closures will begin early on the morning of December 31st. Nearly 50,000 people are expected, so arrive early to find a good parking place and stake out your spot for the festivities. Be patient and have a sense of humor- it will be crowded and you will get bumped into, so try to be cool and just have fun. Also, make sure you have a plan to arrive home safely by designating a driver. There will be public portable restrooms available, but no coolers are allowed, and only service animals will be permitted in the area.
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