Looking to shed the Scrooge-like funk before the holidays hit?  Panama City Beach is full of events and activities to get you singing “Jingle Bells” in no time!

Santa’s Arrival and Breakfast

November 25th, 2011

At 9:00am, Santa will be arriving at Pier Park for cookies, hot chocolate and pictures with all of the boys and girls who come to see him!  Pictures will be taking place at the Santa House on the boardwalk.

Annual Mayor’s Tree Lighting

November 25th, 2011

The age old tradition of the Christmas tree lighting will take place from 6:00pm-7:00pm.  Listen to holiday carolers as the Mayor lights the 20ft tree in Pier Park and starts the holiday season!

25th Annual Christmas Boat Parade

November 26th, 2011

This year’s boat parade will mark the 25th Anniversary of the parade in Panama City.  From 4pm- 9pm in Historic St. Andrews you can watch the “Silver Anniversary”-themed parade tour the St. Andrews Marina.  For more information, please visit the website.

Schooners Last Local Beach Party

November 26th, 2011

Celebrate the holiday season with Schooners!  Starting at 7pm, Schooners would like to thank those who have supported them all year long.  They will have live entertainment from Smoke N Mirrors.  There will also be food and drink specials, holiday gifts, and VIP card giveaways.  The event will benefit the Children’s Home Society.  Schooners asks you to bring a new unwrapped toy to benefit an underprivileged child in the community.

8th Annual Festival of Trees

November 29th- December 2nd, 2011

The Panama City Rescue Mission is hosting the 8th Annual Festival of Trees: The Greatest Gift of All at the Marina Civic Center.  This event enables local artists and designers to decorate beautiful Christmas items for charity, which are judged in a competition and then sold at auction.  All proceeds help Bethel Village, the Rescue Mission’s home for recovering homeless women and families.

The Rescue Mission will also be hosting a “Lunch with Santa,” which will be a field trip for our school’s homeless children allowing them to enjoy beautiful trees, learn the history of Christmas, meet Santa, and receive presents.

Tickets and more information are available online.

It’s almost time to flip the switch and turn on the Christmas lights!  Four main events will set the holiday atmosphere here in Panama City Beach.  If you’re looking for something to do this holiday season, look no further!

About Fun for the Holidays:

Panama City Beach is putting on four events to kick-start the holiday season right for everyone!  Tickets are available online or at the gate, however- Friday November 18th, admission will be free and will include a performance by the Panama City POPS Orchestra.  Tickets will be $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for students, seniors, and active members of the military, $2.00 children age six to 12, and children under six are free.  Ice skates are available for an additional $5 adults, $2 children 12 and under.  Bay County residents will receive a Thursday discount: $5.00 Adults, $2.00 students, seniors, active military, $1.00 children 12 and under.  Fun for the Holidays kicks off on November 18 and will run every Thursday, Friday & Saturday until December 23rd. (Except for Thanksgiving Day)

Christmas Tree Forest and Ice Palace

A forest of lighted Christmas trees and a ice skating rink will transform the intersection of Alf Coleman Drive and Front Beach Road into a winter wonderland and the hub of holiday activities.  The ice skating rink will be 50×100-feet.  In the center of the Christmas tree forest, you’ll find a 40-foot tree with lights that have been choreographed to festive holiday music.

Santa’s Beach House Village

Shipwreck Island Waterpark will be changed into a beach wonderland, complete with elves, reindeer, and other holiday favorites.  Visitors will be greeted by the friends of Mr. and Mrs. Claus- starfish, seahorses, turtles, dolphins, fish, and crabs- each one illuminated.  There will be a craft table to make holiday keepsakes, hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, holiday treats, and of course- pictures with Santa.

Christmas Under the Sea

M.B. Miller County Pier will be decorated with lights and animation, allowing you to experience holiday lights while overlooking the Gulf of Mexico!

Beach Ball Drop

2012 will begin after the Fourth Annual Beach Ball Drop hosted by Pier Park on Saturday, December 31st.  Complete with family-friendly entertainment including bounce houses, street performers, stilt walkers, face painters, and live music starting at 5:30pm.  At 8:00pm thousands of inflatable beach balls will be dropped for the delight of children.  Counting down till midnight an 800-pound beach ball will decend 100-feet as we enjoy the last moments of 2011.   New Year’s Eve activities are complimentary.

Happy Holidays, from PCB Daily!

Gather your friends and family for some fun November 10th-12th; hot rods, cruzers, classic cars and trucks, and more make their way to Panama City Beach!  Frank Brown Park (across from Pier Park) will be lined with over 3,000 classic and custom cars for this year’s Emerald Coast Cruzin’.  Among the cars lining the park will be vendors of car memorabilia, parts, ladies wear, a kids corner, and more.  There is sure to be something their for every car aficionado and their family members.

In addition to the car show, there will also be parades, concerts from T Graham Brown and TG Sheppard, and more- to ensure fun for everyone attending.  The best part?  100% of ticket sales go to The Boys and Girls Club of Bay County.   Cost for entry is $10.00 per person (including parking and auction), $25.00 for a 3 day pass, and children under 12 are free.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, November 10th

8:00am-5:00pm: Vehicle Registration at Sharky’s

8:00am-5:00pm: Show and Shine at Frank Brown Park

9:00am-4:00pm: Vehicle Auction Registration at Frank Brown Park

5:30pm: Burn-out Competition at Hammerhead Fred’s

6:00pm: Live Entertainment from 345 Express at the Sandpiper Beacon Tiki Bar

Friday, November 11th

8:00am-5:00pm: Vehicle Registration at Sharky’s

8:00am-5:00pm: Show and Shine at Frank Brown Park

9:00am-4:00pm: Vehicle Auction Registration at Frank Brown Park

4:30pm: Parade through Pier Park (beginning at Dillards and ending at Sharky’s)

5:30pm: Beach Blast Concert with Jimmy Dale, Bobby Parish, and The Cadillacs Band ($5.00 to registered participants)

Saturday, November 12th

8:00am-5:00pm: Vehicle Registration at Sharky’s

8:00am-5:00pm: Show and Shine at Frank Brown Park

9:00am: Vehicle Auction Begins at Frank Brown Park

4:00pm: Awards Announcement (must be present to win)

6:00pm: Lineup Show (Starts at 7pm) and Flame Throwing Contest at Pineapple Willies

Have fun enjoying these amazing classic cars and hot rods!

The Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce and The Tourism Development Council are bringing us “UNwineD: Vines and Steins” this weekend,  a festival to celebrate local wines, craft beers, and cuisine as part of the “Taste of The Beach 2011.”  The event will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Education Foundation.

There will be over 120 wines, 60 craft beers, food from 20 restaurants, and local musicians playing throughout the evening.  Alton Brown, host of “Good Eats” and “Iron Chef America,” will be in attendance.  Brown will be explaining how to pair the beverages with foods, as well as hosting a cooking demonstration.  Weekend passes are available for $80 online.

Schedule of Events

Friday, November 4th 6pm-9pm – Pier Park

For $40, you can purchase a ticket to taste the wines and beers as well as culinary samplings from the area.  Wander the streets of Pier Park while listening to local musicians and tastes of the coast.

Saturday, November 5th 6pm- Wyndham Bay Point Resort

Alton Brown’s cooking demonstration will be at 7:30pm, and is expected to last 90 minutes. He will also be signing his book (available at the event).  There will also be samples of food from Executive Chef Julio Lucero prepared with a collection of beer and wines.  This evening’s events will be $50.

Relax, Enjoy, and UNwineD!

Several events this weekend are geared to stir up some Halloween-focused excitement!

Haunted House

October 21-22, 222 East Beach Drive

For only $7, you can enter the Jaycee’s annual haunted house!  The Jaycee’s is a young professionals group in the Panama City area.  The haunted house is open from 7pm till close each Friday and Saturday night.  Proceeds from the haunted house go to local charities.

Haunted Trail and Pumpkin Patch

October 21-22, The Science and Discovery Center of Northwest Florida

For the twelfth year in a row, the Science and Discovery Center of Northwest Florida brings you the Haunted Trail and Pumpkin Patch!  Event admission will be $5 per person between the hours of 4:00pm and 10:00pm. The trail has been re-vamped from previous years and is fun for children age 7 and up. For children under age 7, there is a peak-a-boo trick-or-treat adventure featuring characters from favorite children’s stories.

The pumpkin patch will have games, crafts, and a haunted homestead full of non-scary experiments.  There will also be a costume contest each night at 5pm, including a group category.  Detailed information about this event is available online.

Howl-O-Ween

October 22-23, Seacrest Wolf Preserve

At 9:30am on the 22nd, the 10th Annual Howl-O-Ween begins at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve.  Tours will start every 1 1/2 hours beginning at 10am each day.  There will also be hayrides beginning at 10:30am and a hayride to a campfire at 6:45pm.  There will be a haunted hayride, not recommended for children, after the campfire.  The campfire will include a flute concert from Marcia Johnson and her stories of the Choctaw Tribe.  Her concert can also be heard at noon.  Dog-o-ween costume contests will have sign ups from 10am till 2pm, with judging beginning at 3pm. On Sunday, the last hayride will be at 4:00pm.

More information is available at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve website.

We will post more Halloween events as they occur, Happy Hauntings this weekend!  To view non-Halloween events in Panama City Beach this weekend, please click here.

After last weekend and the High Seas Pirate Fest, this weekend might seem a little more tame.  The Human Society holds the 7th Annual Barkin’ on the Bay, the POPS Orchestra opens their season, the Kaleidoscope Theater presents I’ll be Back Before Midnight,  and Bay County fights back against breast cancer.  Weither you support the arts or are more focused on philanthropy, you’ll have something to do this weekend!

7^th Annual Barkin’ on the Bay

October 15^th, 2011 For the 7^th year, The Humane Society of Bay County will be holding the Barkin’ on the Bay on October 15^th, 2011 from 11:30am to 5:00pm at Bay Point Marina.  The rain date is set for October 16^th, from noon to 5pm.  Children get in free, but tickets are available for adults with a suggested donation of $5 -10. Barkin’ on the Bay will include the famous dock diving competition, a frisbee competition, flyball-agility-obedience-and rally obedience dog demos, meet the breeds programs, and several contests.  Contests will include look-a-like, best trick, Halloween costume, largest dog, smallest dog, and Simon Sez Obedience.

Opening Night for the Panama City POPS Orchestra

October 15^th, 2011 Opening their 7^th season is the Panama City POPS Orchestra, beginning their first season at the Marina Civic Center.  The POPS Orchestra will be focusing on Symphony No.9 from Dvorak in the first section of the show, with the second section being more upbeat and fun. An in-depth look at Dvorak’s No.9 and the Panama City POPS Orchestra can be found here.

I’ll be Back Before Midnight

October 14th-16th, 2011 Opening October 14th, I’ll be Back Before Midnight will be showing at the Kaleidoscope Theater.  Shows will be the 14th, 15th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, 29th, and 30th with shows at 7:00pm Friday and Saturday and 2:30pm on Sunday.  Opening night, there will also be a gala with wine and cheese, where you can meet the cast.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K

October 15th, 2011 Registration begins at 7:00am, and the walk/run begins at 8:00am at Aaron Bessant Park to show your support against Breast Cancer.  Heritage, a pop/reggae band from Okaloosa,  will be playing form 10:00am till 12:00pm. This year, Mayor Gayle Oberst, will be the honorary chair for this years Making Strides event.  She recently lost her husband to cancer and has supported the American Cancer Society diligently in the past.  Put your pink on, bring an extra bra to donate, and help raise awareness and fight back against this disease!

Are you going to any of these events this weekend?  Supporting the arts or supporting a philanthropic cause?

October 7^th and 8^th Pirates of the High Seas Fest invade Panama City Beach for a weekend of family fun and entertainment.  The weekends schedule is below.  All events will be held at Pier Park, unless otherwise mentioned.  Several events will involve the Krewe of Dominique Youx, the proud sponsors of Mardi Gras at the Beach in Panama City.

Friday October 7^th, 2011

6:00 pm- Adult Pirate and Wench Costume Contest

6:00 pm- Pet Costume Contest

7:00 pm- Second Line Parade led by Krewe of Dominique Youx (Mardi Gras style parade celebrating piracy this weekend)

8:00 pm- Tervis Family Beach Ball Drop (More than 7,000 beach balls will fall onto Pier Park Drive)

Saturday October 8^th, 2011

8:00 am- Run for the Treasure (pirate-themed fun run savenger hunt, 5K, and Half Marathon at Aaron Bessant Park)

12:00 pm- Children’s Costume Contest, Treasure Hunt on Bookit.com Beach, and Face Painting

2:00 pm- Lookout for Pirates on the Gulf of Mexico (The Midnight Princess and Sea Dragon battle on the waters)

3:00 pm- Pirates Raid Panama City Beach Pier to Capture the Keys to the City (pirates will invade the City Pier and have a children’s pirate parade, wear a costume and join in!)

5:00 pm- Main Pirate Parade (Krewe of Dominique Youx pirates join the costume contest winners and street performers)

6:15 pm- Pirate Movie Screening and Balloon Making

9:00 pm- Dueling Fireworks Show (Fireworks Battle between the two piers as a pirate ship arrives off shore)

Have an amazing weekend of piracy in Panama City Beach!  Don’t forget your pirate and wench costumes!

The anglers tried, but the Blue Marlin evaded being caught at this year’s 2nd Annual Panama City Beach Sportfishing Classic.

Nonetheless, last weekend’s Sportfishing Classic was a huge success with 34 boats registered and over 2500 lbs of fish caught.  Varieties included Swordfish, Tuna, Wahoo and Dolphin.

The largest Swordfish that was brought in was a monster 225 lbs.

Once the fish were brought in and admitted to the tournament, they became property of the tourney.  And the tourney decided they wanted to cook their new-found property and serve it to the attendees.  Chef Konrad Jochum from Boatyard was grilling up the fresh catches.

Full results

Swordfish

1. Reel Comfort – Martin Flowers – 225 lbs – won $15,500
2. Linda Gale – Mark Revell – 120 lbs – won $9,500

Tuna

1. Committed – John Lee – 87.6 lbs – won $12,500
2. Salt Crusher – Jason Hines – 85.8 lbs - won $7,500
3. Salt Crusher – Josh Conyers – 84.8 lbs - won $5,000

Wahoo

1. Reef Dog – Jake Quave – 89.2 lbs – won $12,500
2. Iona Louise – Woody Woods – 61.8 lbs – won $7,500
3. Perseverance – Justin Friez – 47.6 lbs – won $5,000

Dolphin

1. Cazador – Joey Sostheim – 23.6 lbs – won $12,500
2. Reel Sorry – Pat Hymel – 18.6 lbs – won $7,500
3. Sea Ya Later – Brian Beighey – 18 lbs – won $5,000

Pictures

Country music artists Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean will be coming to Panama City Beach’s Frank Brown Park across from Pier Park this coming weekend.  Miranda Lambert was first introduced to the public through Nashville Star, while Jason Aldean was introduced through his self-titled album.  These concerts are a part of “The Fun Never Sets Fall Concert Series on Panama City Beach” concert series.

Friday night

Friday night’s line up will include Justin Moore and The Randy Rogers Band opening up for Miranda Lambert.  The gates will open at 6:30 pm (or earlier, crossing fingers) and the show is set to begin at 7:30.  They are actually erecting the stage, lighting and sound right now.

Friday night schedule

• 7:30 PM The Randy Rogers Band
• 8:10 PM Justin Moore
• 9:15 PM Miranda Lambert

The Randy Rogers Band is known for:

• “Tonight’s Not the Night”
• “Kiss Me in the Dark”
• “Too Late for Goodbye”
• “Steal You Away.”
• Visit the Randy Rogers Band’s website.

Justin Moore is best known for:

• “Back that thing up”
• “Backwoods”
• “Redneck Side”
• “Small Town USA.”
• Visit Justin Moore’s website.

Some of Miranda Lambert’s best known songs are:

• “Kerosene”
• “The House that Built Me”
• “White Liar”
• “Dead Flowers”
• “Only Prettier”
• Visit Miranda Lambert’s website.

In addition to these, Lambert has had many more hits and popular songs.

Saturday night

Gates will open at 6:30PM, for The Dirt Drifter’s, Corey Smith, and headline Jason Aldean, with the concert scheduled to start at 7:25pm.

Saturday night schedule :

7:25PM The Dirt Drifters

8:00PM Corey Smith

9:15PM Jason Aldean

Corey Smith is best known for:

• “If I Could Do it Again”
• “Twenty-One”
• “Maybe Next Year”
• Visit Corey Smith’s website.

The Dirt Drifter’s are known for:

• “Something Better”
• “Always a Reason”
• Visit The Dirt Drifter’s website.

A Few of Jason Aldean’s Singles are:

• “She’s Country”
• “Big Green Tractor”
• “My Kinda Party”
• “Dirt Road Anthem”
• “Hicktown”
• Visit Jason Aldean’s website.

If you’re a fan of music, especially country music, there is no doubt that you’ll enjoy the Country Music Fest this weekend.  If you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, visit Ticketmaster or book with local lodging partners!  See you out there!  And don’t forget your lawn chair or blanket!

Every year, about the second week in August, school starts back, rent-rates drop and the beach slows down.  For some, it’s a welcome change, but for others, it’s the ’so-long’ of the bustle of a busy season.

For years, local tourism officials have dreamed of that mythical unicorn – the annual tourism season – and fall events have always helped extend that season just a bit to keep the life-giving tourism dollar flowing.  This year we have some nice surprises amongst the great fall weather to keep bringing people to our beaches.

Weekend events, famous people and music.

The Tourist Development Council (TDC) has put together a very interesting sequence of events to drive fall tourism.  They’ve orchestrated three weekend events that range from a Christian Music Festival to a weekend-long pirate’s festival.  They’ve structured the whole series very interestingly.  The only way to get tickets to any of the events initially is by booking through one of the TDC accommodation partners.  Any accommodation provider that has a valid tourism tax account has access to this.  On all the events, around two weeks prior to the event, any remaining tickets will be available to the general public.

Fun Never Sets Christian Music Fest

• Located at Aaron Bessant
• August 26th (Friday) – Matthew West, Petra, Third Day (headliner) – doors open at 5 pm
• August 27th (Saturday) – Jamie Grace, Family Force Five, Peter Furler (formerly of the News Boys), Switchfoot, Toby Mac (headliner) – doors open at 2 pm
• August 28th – Worship service, no time yet, but will be at Aaron Bessant Park

Fun Never Sets Country Music Fest

• Located at Frank Brown Park
• September 23 – Justin Moore, Randy Rogers Band, Miranda Lambert (headliner) – doors open at 5:30 pm
• September 24 – Opening acts yet to be named, Jason Aldean (headliner) – doors open at 2 pm

Fun Never Sets Explorer of the High Seas Fest

• Event will be from October 7th – 9th at Aaron Bessant Park
• Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly fame) in concert on the 9th at 2 pm
• Krewe of Dominique Youx will host a pirate parade
• There will be a Beach Ball Drop
• Dueling fireworks show between County and Russell Fields Pier
• Pirate Ships will be in the Gulf
• Dubbed a wonderful family and kids festival weekend
• More details will be available on this soon

Video promoting the fall.