The Pirates of the High Seas and Renaissance Fest wraps up opening night

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – The annual Pirates of the High Seas and Renaissance Fest is back for another year. The free celebration at Aaron Bessant Park wrapped up its opening night on Friday.

For over a decade, the Pirates of the High Seas and Renaissance Fest has welcomed mateys and maidens of all ages. The three-day event offers fireworks, live mermaid shows, a fire circus, parades, live music, and more.

Friday night brought one of the biggest crowds ever. Many are celebrating the festival’s evolution.

“It first started over in Pier Park right in front of the theater. So, we didn’t have a whole lot. And we grew to over here, I think this is maybe our third year in the park here where we’ve been able to have period chance to camp out and show some living history and where actually period current garb and just people get to learn what it was like to be a pirate,” Pirates of the White Sands Captain Ransom Mayhem said.

The Pirates of the White Sands are camping out at the park and sleeping in tents all weekend.

“I love the camaraderie. Just everyone loves to dress up and be like a different person for the day. So, it’s very unique to see everyone come out and they’re dressed up and do all the fun things that they wouldn’t do on a normal day,” Visit Panama City Beach’s Sydney Clifton said.

Officials say they’re excited to see how they can keep improving and growing the festival for years to come. The celebration will be held all weekend long.

On Saturday the gates open at 10 a.m. but you can get an early start on the festivities with the pirate breakfast experience at the Embassy Suites on Front Beach Road.

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