Things to do in Pensacola: Barktoberfest; Halloween; Taylor Swift Inspired Dance Party

Seven days out is your guide to entertainment events, concerts, festivals and activities in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

MONDAY

Monday Night Blues

7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Seville Quarter and the Blues Society of Northwest Florida are bringing the “blues” back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District. The event features live blues music and "BBQ and Bud" food and drink specials. More info: 850-434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

The Church

6 p.m., doors; 7 p.m., show; Monday, Oct. 23. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Few bands enter their fifth decade of making music with all the fierce creative energy of their early years. Even fewer bands are like The Church. Experiencing a renaissance of sorts with their 26th album, "The Hypnogogue," and a world tour that took them through North America, the U.K., Europe and Australia, The Church was met with fervent audiences who embraced not only their early catalog but their new material as well. $35. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

TUESDAY

Adventures Unlimited Fall Foliage Zipline Tours

Tuesday, Sept. 1 through Thursday, Nov. 30. Adventures Unlimited Outdoor Center, 8974 Tomahawk Landing Road, Milton. The Beaches to Woodlands Tour is here and it brings a great time to enjoy the natural attractions at Adventures Unlimited located just north of the Blackwater River State Forest. Enjoy the changing colors and excitement while doing one of the Canopy Zipline Tours. Overnight accommodations at the resort’s campsites or cabins are available along with canoeing and kayaking down the Coldwater Creek. Inquire about team building activities and group outings also. Details: adventuresunlimited.com.

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StarWound: Interiors

6 p.m., doors; 6:30 p.m., show; Tuesday, Oct. 24. REX Theatre, 18 N. Palafox St. Join the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series as the Athens, Greece-based, Anglophone band StarWound presents "Interiors." The show’s theme grew out of the isolation spawned during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme has also expanded thematically to include a range of connotations related to “interiors.” Free, but tickets are required. More info: facebook.com/RexPensacola.

Bands on the Beach

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24. Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach, Pensacola Beach. Pensacola Beach's popular outdoor summer concert series with performers for every musical taste. Featuring a lineup of regional artists, Bands on the Beach delivers an eclectic musical experience throughout the entire summer. This week features Knee Deep Band. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Free. More info: 850-932-2257 or visitpensacolabeach.com.

Bumpin Uglies

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Tuesday, Oct. 24. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. The Maryland reggae-rock band Bumpin Uglies had spent more than a decade on the road, starting with local open mics and backyard parties and growing into road warriors, building an ever-expanding audience with sold-out shows in clubs and prime spots at festivals from coast to coast, on one national tour after another. The pandemic hit and touring slowed down, but the band adapted. $18. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

United States Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. The premier jazz ensemble of the United States Navy offers big band jazz at its finest. The group features 19 of the Navy's top jazz and "big band" musicians: five saxophonists, four trombonists, four trumpeters, a four-member rhythm section, a vocalist and an audio technician. The Commodores perform a mixture of music ranging from the authentic sounds of the swing era to the high-energy big band jazz of today. Free. More info: 850-595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

THURSDAY

89th annual Pensacola Interstate Fair

Thursday to Sunday, Oct. 19 through 29. Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds, 6655 Mobile Highway. The Pensacola Interstate Fair offers 11 days of rides, food, fun, music and gaming is affordable for families looking for exciting things to do on a budget. The fair also offers options to save your hard-earned cash with Dollar Day on Opening Day Thursday, Midnight Madness Friday specials and advance Super Saver discount ride wristbands and half-price admission tickets. In addition, there will be discounted special admission days, free events and concerts so you can join in all the magic and fun. Tickets and more info: pensacolafair.com.

All Them Witches

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Wednesday, Oct. 25. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. The hard rock quartet All Them Witches thrives on contrast. Now, six records deep into a tenure that began in 2012, Ben McLeod (guitarist), Charles Michael Parks Jr. (bass/vocals), Robby Staebler (drums), and Allan VanCleave (keys) are unremittingly forward-looking. The band hones their unique meld of crafted songwriting and spacious grooves on the road. $25. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

Alabama Story

7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 through 29. Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Inspired by true events from 1959, a contrasting story of childhood friends — an African American man and a woman of white privilege, reunited in adulthood — provides private counterpoint to the public events swirling in the state capital. Political foes, star-crossed lovers and one feisty children’s author inhabit the same page in a Deep South of the imagination that brims with humor, heartbreak and hope. More info: Tickets and more info: pensacolalittletheatre.com.

Find out where to go and what to do: Pensacola Interstate Fair guide: Everything you need to know about tickets, discounts, more

FRIDAY

Monster's Masquerade Mystery Dinner Show

6 p.m., doors; 7 p.m., show Friday and Saturday, Oct. 27 and 28. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. You are attending Frankenstein's 205th birthday, and he's throwing a masquerade ball of monster proportions. Meet and mingle with some of the most iconic monsters on the face of the earth. When one of these legendary monsters is murdered, it will be up to you and the mystery detective to solve this bizarre twist of events. $65. More info: 850-434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

Bands on the Blackwater Fall Concert Series

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Jernigan’s Landing, 5154 Willing St., Milton. Come by boat or bring a lawn chair and join friends and neighbors for the best live music on the Gulf Coast at the award winning, family-friendly Bands on the Blackwater concerts. The series offers a variety of music from local favorites to national touring bands. This week features The Modern Eldorados. Free. More info: 850-983-5400 or facebook.com/BandsOnTheBlackwater.

Escape to Margaritaville

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20 through 29. Ashmore Auditorium, Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. Featuring both original songs and your most-loved Jimmy Buffett classics, this new musical is the story of a part-time bartender, part-time singer and full-time charmer named Tully who thinks he’s got life all figured out. Until a beautiful career-minded tourist steals his heart and makes him question everything. Tickets and more info: performingarts.pensacolastate.edu.

Taylor Swift Inspired Dance Party

9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. The Taylor Swift Inspired Dance Party features trivia, a lip sync battle, costume contest, free koozie and photo walls. The party will celebrate the re-release of the 1989 album. $20. For ages 18 and older. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

SATURDAY

Fenner McConnell/Mark Wantz Blackwater Heritage Century Ride

7:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Clyde L. Gracey Community Center, 5629 Byrom St., Milton. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and the West Florida Wheelmen presents the 2023 Fenner Ride. Cyclists can enjoy routes that start in the city of Milton, all the way to the woodlands of the Blackwater Forest, and back again. Riders will be able to experience Northwest Florida’s native wildlife, natural environments and beautiful scenery. More info: runsignup.com/Race/FL/Milton/FennerRide.

Holland Farms Pumpkin Patch & Maze

8 a.m. Sunday to Saturday, Sept. 23 through Nov. 4. Holland Farms, 2055 Homer Holland Road, Milton. Enjoy a farm hayride that will take you around the farm and to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin of your choice. New activities for this year include a 3/4-mile train ride around the farm and a new innertube hill slide. Other activities include corn box, horse and regular swings, spider web, pirate ship, zip lines, pedal tractor cart racing, hill slides, rat racers, sand box and an 8-acre corn maze with kiddie maze. Every visitor receives a free cup of homegrown boiled peanuts. More info: HollandFarmsOnline.com.

Sweet Season Farms Corn Maze

9 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 1 through Nov. 6. Sweet Season Farms, 2260 Horn Road, Milton. Visitors can spend time this fall season navigating their way through a unique corn maze with plenty of room to spread out on the farm. U-pick sunflowers will be blooming in October along with the pumpkin patch. Experience more than 25 fun farm-themed activities including a cow train, beeline zipline, corn popper jumping pillow, barnyard ball and playground. More info: sweetseasonfarms.com.

Boo at the Zoo

10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14 through 29. Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Boo at the Zoo offers six days of scare-free, daytime fun for children and their families. Join the safe zoo neighborhood of Halloween entertainment, with kid-friendly fun around every corner. The event features a trick-or-treat trail with toys, treats, treasures, bounce houses, face painting, animal ambassador headquarters and the entire zoo. More info: gbzoo.com.

Pensacola Children's Chorus-Hauntcert

3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. Immerse yourself in a world of melodic magic as the newest addition to the Mainstage Performance Series, "Hauntcert: A Family-Friendly Halloween Concert," is unveiled. Prepare to be mesmerized by a bewitching blend of Halloween-themed music, spellbinding stage lighting and a live band. The ensemble and young singers choirs take the stage with choreography, group numbers and solo performances. Tickets start at $19. More info: 850-595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

GWAR

6 p.m., doors; 7 p.m., show; Saturday, Oct. 28. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. The legendary rock band GWAR will perform live in concert. Negative Approach, X-Cops and Cancer Christ will open the show. $35. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

O’Riley’s Halloween Costume Party

8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown, 321 S. Palafox St., and O'Riley's Uptown Tavern, 3728 Creighton Road. O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown will hold its annual costume contest. The prize for the contest will be $1,000 in cash and prizes. This location will have a $5 cover. O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern will also hold its annual costume contest. The prize for the contest will be $500 in cash and prizes. This location will have no cover charge. Sir Richards Public House and Mugs & Jugs will each feature a ‘Trick-or-Treat’ drink special. More info: orileyspub.com.

SUNDAY

Fall Festival

The Pinewoods Presbyterian Church is hosting a community Fall Festival from 5-8 p.m. Sunday at 2198 County Road 297A in Cantonment. The festival includes square dancing, bouncy house, Bingo, games and hay rides. Hot dogs, chips, dessert and drinks will be provided. The festival also includes a chili cookoff and everyone is invited to participate by bringing a pot to compete for prizes.

Barktoberfest

10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. Seville Square, 311 E. Government St. Join the Pensacola Humane Society for dog-friendly interactive events such as canine obstacle course, bubble area, pup-cake treat walk and ball pits. Humans can enjoy food trucks, vendor tents, beverages, face painting and even a strolling magician. The event also features traditional owner-dog costume look alike and best trick contests, as well as small dog races. There will be workshops on how to have the best mannered mutt and how to enrich their lives. More info: pensacolahumane.org.

34th annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving

Noon Sunday, Oct. 29. Dive Pros, 7203 U.S. 98. For 34 years organizers have held a charity underwater pumpkin carving contest followed by a barbecue and raffle event. For divers, this two-person event is a fun and great way to get underwater and have a chance at some cool prizes. All proceeds will go to the Alfred-Washburn Center and their work to help local homeless. More info: florida-divepros.com.

KILLER MIC Comedy Competition

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Sunday, Oct. 29. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. YIKES Comedy brings the fourth annual KILLER MIC Comedy Competition to Vinyl. The best standup comedians in the southeast will take the stage to make audiences scream with laughter. The audience will decide who killed it, advancing that comic to the final round and giving them the responsibility of killing one of the comedians off the show. Help decide who lives and dies on the way to the cash prize. Tickets start at $10. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola things to do: Barktoberfest; Halloween; Taylor Swift Dance