It’s the holiday season, when visitors to Downtown Pensacola can experience music, shopping, food, art and nightlife under a canopy of half a million white lights illuminating historic buildings, parks, shops, galleries and outdoor spaces. Wandering along Palafox, you may chance upon live street performances, caroling in the streets, Santa posing for photos and Winterfest Trolley Tours.

Lighting up the night sky, as part of downtown Pensacola’s First City Lights Festival, are the twinkling lights lining the main city streets to create a magical setting for the diverse, season-long lineup of holiday festivities. And helping to bring these lights to the night are Gulf Power Company and the contractors, JAH Power Services, Inc., Service Electric Co., Roberson Underground Utility, LLC., and L30, who are working on Gulf Power’s $86 million downtown reliability project designed to help modernize the underground electrical network.

“Gulf Power is pleased to once again support the First City Lights Festival as part of our ongoing partnership with the Downtown Improvement board and the City of Pensacola” said Rick Byars, senior external affairs manager for Gulf Power. “We have worked to create an even brighter energy future through ensuring long-term reliability for our customers’ businesses and homes, and we hope all of our customers will come downtown and experience the joy of the season.”

The holiday lights are a huge draw for bringing residents and visitors into the downtown district during the winter months. “Downtown Pensacola provides an unforgettable holiday experience for families,” said DIB Executive Director Walker Wilson. “Aside from the fantastic shopping, museums, dining and nightlife, the holidays downtown also mean live outdoor theater, musical performances and the unique setting created each evening when the lights come on. First City Lights Festival brings all of these experiences together into one extraordinary holiday event.”

The First City Lights Festival will continue to light up downtown Pensacola through January 13, 2022.