On Friday, Nov. 20, a child's ticket for Winterfest's Polar Express Tour costs $10. One week later, on opening night, the same tour costs $17. The adult price goes from $16 to $26. Winterfest calls Friday, Nov. 27 its opening night, but the cheapest nights on its 2026 calendar come before it.
That pattern holds for the rest of the season on Palafox. Most of the season happens outdoors along the street: the half-million lights the Downtown Improvement Board turned on Nov. 4, the Wednesday and Saturday markets, and two parades. Winterfest's tours are ticketed, and their prices change by date. For a household that lives a few blocks from Plaza Ferdinand, the timing decides most of the cost.
The Price List Rewards the Early Nights
Pensacola Winterfest runs out of Plaza Wonderland at the corner of Government Street and Palafox Place. Its tours and photos with Santa start there. An all-volunteer crew runs it. Its 2026 calendar has 15 nights, and the tour prices move a lot from one to the next.
Here are the posted prices for the Polar Express Tour and Grinch's Merry Match, which cost the same on every night, along with Photos with the Grinch:
| Night | Kids, per tour | Adults, per tour | Photos with the Grinch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | $10 | $16 | $39 |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | $10 | $16 | $39 |
| Fri., Nov. 27, opening night | $17 | $26 | $52 |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | $15 | $20 | $45 |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | $14 | $19 | $43 |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | $15 | $20 | $45 |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | $15 | $20 | $45 |
| Fri., Dec. 18 and Sat., Dec. 19 | $17 | $25 | not shown here |
| Tue., Dec. 22 and Wed., Dec. 23 | $17 | $26 | not shown here |
On the 2026 calendar, a family of two adults and two children pays $52 for one tour on Nov. 20 or Nov. 22. The same four tickets cost $86 on Nov. 27. In December, the lowest price is Friday, Dec. 4, at $14 per child and $19 per adult. If you book more than one tour, the reservations page gives you a code for discounted pricing on additional tours and photos.
Some things cost nothing on any night. The Winterfest Holiday Special starts at 5 p.m. every tour night. Winterfest says you can watch it for free, visit Santa, and drop in on the Grinch. The prices above are what Winterfest's calendar shows as this post goes live. Several already show a struck-through original price, so check the calendar before you book.
Opening Day Puts the Free Event and the Priciest Tickets Together
Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, is the most expensive tour night on the calendar. It's also the day of Winterfest's Elf Parade, which is free for everyone. According to the Elf Parade page, lineup starts at 12:30 p.m. at Government and Palafox, judging is at 1:25 p.m., and the parade steps off at 2 p.m. Winterfest says the daytime parade and the evening tours both happen that day, so families don't have to pick one.
A downtown family can still split the season between the two weekends. Watch the free parade on Nov. 27, and book the paid tour for Nov. 20 or Nov. 22, when the same tickets cost about 40% less for adults. Grinch photos follow the same pattern, at $39 on the early nights and $52 on opening night.
Two Fridays Put Gallery Night and Winterfest on the Same Street
The early nights matter for another reason. Friday, Nov. 20 is also Gallery Night Pensacola, and its theme this month is the "Festival of Living Art." That puts Winterfest's cheapest tour night and the monthly street arts event downtown on the same evening.
The same thing happens again on Friday, Dec. 18, when Gallery Night holds "Gallery Night's Home for the Holidays" from 5 to 9 p.m., according to Visit Pensacola. Winterfest runs that night too. The pricing has turned by then, with tours at $17 per child and $25 per adult. Both Fridays put two events within a few blocks of each other. On Nov. 20, Winterfest's half costs the least it will all season. On Dec. 18, it costs close to the most.
Wednesdays and Saturdays Carry the Shopping
Gift shopping downtown follows its own weekly schedule. The Palafox Market Holiday Edition opened at Plaza Ferdinand on Nov. 4. Starting the next week, the Holiday Market moved to every Wednesday evening at MLK Jr. Plaza, under strings of lights, and it runs through Dec. 16, according to Visit Pensacola. As of this post, five Wednesdays are left:
- Nov. 18
- Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving
- Dec. 2
- Dec. 9
- Dec. 16
None of those Wednesdays is a Winterfest night. The evening market has its plaza to itself, a few blocks up Palafox from Plaza Wonderland.
The regular Saturday Palafox Market keeps its usual hours, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at both MLK Jr. Plaza on North Palafox between Wright and Garden and Plaza Ferdinand on South Palafox at Government. On Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, you could shop the Saturday morning market and come back that evening for Winterfest, with tours at $15 per child and $20 per adult.
Dec. 12 Belongs to the Christmas Parade
The biggest night of the season is a Saturday when Winterfest doesn't run. The Spectrum Pensacola Christmas Parade goes down historic Palafox Street on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 5:30 p.m. The parade site posts a route map. The organizer is Pensacola Christmas Projects, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and parade proceeds go to local high school band boosters.
Dec. 12 isn't on Winterfest's list of show nights. Winterfest runs Friday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 13, with Grinch photos listed for that Sunday at $48. On parade weekend, the paid event and the free one are on different nights.
Christmas Week Brings Scrooge and the Highest Prices
The last stretch runs six nights in a row, from Saturday, Dec. 19 through Christmas Eve. It's the only time the Scrooge Tour runs. Winterfest says Scrooge "returns Christmas week." Scrooge tickets cost $16 to $17 for kids and $23 to $26 for adults. The Polar Express and Grinch tours cost about the same that week, and Dec. 22 and 23 match opening night's $17 and $26.
Here's the rest of the season on one list:
- Nov. 18, 25 and Dec. 2, 9, 16, Wednesdays: Holiday Market, MLK Jr. Plaza
- Every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Palafox Market at MLK Jr. Plaza and Plaza Ferdinand
- Nov. 20, Friday: Winterfest's lowest tour prices, plus Gallery Night's "Festival of Living Art"
- Nov. 22, Sunday: Winterfest at the same low prices
- Nov. 27, Friday: Free Elf Parade at 2 p.m., then Winterfest opening night
- Dec. 4, Friday: Winterfest's cheapest December night
- Dec. 12, Saturday: Spectrum Pensacola Christmas Parade, 5:30 p.m., Palafox Street
- Dec. 18, Friday: Gallery Night's "Home for the Holidays," 5 to 9 p.m., and Winterfest
- Dec. 19 to 24: Scrooge Tour and nightly Winterfest through Christmas Eve
Winterfest's Holiday Special starts at 5 p.m. on every tour night, and the address for your GPS is 223 S Palafox Place.
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