Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the Bay Center’s website for more information about their policies, especially the new safety procedures that have been put in place.

Pensacon has events taking place throughout the day and night beginning Friday at 1:00 pm and ending Sunday at 5:00 pm. The main venue is the Pensacola Bay Center, with many other events takin gplace on the campus of First United Methodist Church of Pensacola. Each venue will have different hours based on events taking place there. See the Venues page for details.

Other venues throughout downtown Pensacola will be used for other events and official parties, both before and during Pensacon. Consult the program book, the mobile app, and the website for more information.

The schedule of events will be made available on the website and mobile app several weeks prior to Pensacon. You can also visit our Facebook page, follow us on Instagram, and pick up a program book at the convention.

Our Pensacon mobile app is available on both the Apple Store and Google Play. On the app, you will find all the information you need about Pensacon, including celebrity info, schedule of events, maps of venues, and much more.

Pensacon welcomes families and attendees of all ages. Some panels and special events such as after-hours parties may not be appropriate for minors, so parents please use discretion when bringing your children to select events. Our staff and volunteers work hard to ensure a safe, friendly, and fun environment for all.

Due to the number of attendees and the Bay Center’s safety policy, strollers are not allowed in the Bay Center on Saturday. Pensacon and the Bay Center reserve the right to deny strollers entry on other days if deemed necessary due to capacity in the area.

Pensacon has grown too large to be confined in just the Bay Center, so we have spread out to various venues throughout Pensacola. The Vendor Floor, Artist Alley, Writer’s Row, celebrity signings, and celebrity Photo Ops will take place at the Bay Center, but celebrity panels, community/fan panels, special events, tabletop gaming and more will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Pensacola. All venues are within walking distance, but free trolleys will be available as well to get you around town.

Many local hotels have partnered with Pensacon to provide special rates for attendees and vendors. As soon as this information is available, we will post it here on the Hotels section of the website.

Many of our attendees enjoy wearing costumes and spend a lot of time, effort, and money in creating their costumes (“cosplay”). However, it is absolutely not a requirement to wear a costume to attend Pensacon. Part of the fun is coming out to see how creative some of the costumes can be! And be sure to attend the Official Pensacon Cosplay Contest sponsored by Festival of Fears on Saturday night at the First United Methodist Church of Pensacola.

Please consult our Weapons Policy for costumes.

Pensacon staff and volunteers work hard to ensure that everyone enjoys their time at the convention and is safe. Feel free to bring any problems you may have to our volunteers and they can escalate it up the chain of command as appropriate. You may also address your concerns with the staff at the Special Services table in front of the Bay Center. Our Safety Team will coordinate with venue security and onsite emergency personnel if the need arises.

We also provide Safe Havens located throughout each venue. If you are subjected to unacceptable, harassing, or threatening behavior, please contact a staff member or volunteer immediately. If a staff member or volunteer is not readily available or if you feel threatened in any manner, please proceed directly to any of the Pensacon information booths, merchandise booths, ticket booths, or vendor booth identified as a Safe Haven.

For more information on Pensacon’s Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Statement of Values, and Safe Environment Policy, visit our Info and Policies pages.

The lot in back of the Bay Center off 9th Avenue is reserved for attendees with VIP passes. You must have the appropriate passes to park in this lot. Handicapped parking is available in the front parking lot of the Bay Center off Alcaniz Street.

VIP passholders with appropriate parking passes may park at the Pensacola Grand Hotel.

Other lots throughout downtown Pensacola are not controlled by Pensacon, and pricing varies. Free trolleys will be running throughout the downtown area one hour prior to Pensacon’s opening each day, and will run all day and into the evening on Friday and Saturday.

See the Transportation page for more details.

Trolleys will stop at the Bay Center, First United Methodist Church of Pensacola, and elsewhere. Other stops and exact locations will be announced closer to the date of the convention.

See the Transportation page for more details.

Trolleys are free for all attendees, guests, staff, and volunteers of Pensacon.

Absolutely. Pensacon will have several merchandise booths at the Bay Center. We will sell a variety of T-shirts, hoodies, and other branded merchandise.

Visit the “Passes” page on the website for details and purchase links.

There is a possibility of passes selling out before the convention. We will be capping our ticket sales this year.

Visit the “Passes” page on the website for details and purchase links. Prices do increase throughout the year.

Yes, if we do not sell out before the convention. However, there will be an increase in prices at the door for weekend passes. Please note that even though Pensacon is using a “campus approach” with multiple venues, passes are only available for pickup during the convention at the Bay Center. If you have pre-purchased a day pass, you must pick it up there before heading to any of the other venues.

This information will be announced a week before the convention.

No, single-day passes will only be available to pick up the day of.

Your pass allows you access into all Pensacon-related events happening at the Pensacola Bay Center, the Wright Place, Rex Theatre, Museum of Commerce and all venues hosting Official Pensacon Parties and Events downtown.

Yes, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are included in the three-day weekend passes.

No, your pass will have your name on it and will allow access to you only.

Children 10 and under are considered to possess the equivalent pass as their parent or guardian and must be accompanied at all times.

Unless otherwise noted, all celebrity guests will be located on the second floor of the Pensacola Bay Center and in the first floor meeting room off the main lobby. The easiest way to get to the second floor is to follow the signs to the outside stairs on the north side of the Bay Center. For those needing access via a wheelchair or a similar accommodation, there is an elevator that can be accessed on the first third floors on the West side, and on the third floor on the East side. The celebrities are located on both the east side and the west side of the second floor, which are designated Celebrity East and Celebrity West. If you reach the second floor via the elevator, you will need to head through the tunnel to get around to the celebrities on the other side.

Most of the celebrity guests charge for autographs, and depending on the celebrity, they may also charge to take photos with them. Prices vary per celebrity guest. Guests do not provide their prices in advance, but most charge between $20 – $80 for an autograph. Professional photo opportunities will be available for purchase through Wolf Studios Photography.

On the vendor floor, photo ops will be set up to take professional photos of you with our celebrity guests. Photo ops can be pre-purchased before the event via the website link above, or during the convention by visiting the photo op table on the vendor floor. It is recommended that you pre-purchase desired photo ops so that you are guaranteed a spot. Photo op sales during the show are cash only.

We highly recommend that you purchase a professional photo ops with desired celebrity guests, to ensure that you get one. Each professional photo op comes with an 8×10 print, and the option to purchase a digital copy. Some celebrity guests may allow selfies at their tables for a set fee, but there are no guarantees as to who will offer these. Before you attempt to take a photo with or of any celebrity, you must ask their permission.

Yes. Unless otherwise noted, all celebrity guests will be at Pensacon all three days.

The volunteer application can be found on our Applications page. Volunteer applications will open in the late summer or fall of each year. It is best to volunteer as early as possible to take advantage of information that is disseminated to our volunteer crew. Training is mandatory for all volunteers.

Pensacon encourages members of the community to volunteer to run panels with topics ranging from movies & TV, comic book, science & technology, production & performance arts, cosplay, and much more. If you have a unique idea for a panel that you would like to hold, you may submit an application when they open.

Similarly, we are looking for experts in various fields to volunteer to run workshops, to host games, conduct demonstrations of skills, or to perform on stage. If you would like to participate in this manner, please submit a Special Activities application.

We welcome businesses in the downtown area to host an Official Event such as a party, themed dinner, or other activity either during the day or in the evening.

Pensacon also offers opportunities for businesses to become sponsors and to advertise with us. For details, go to our Sponsorships page.

Booths on the vendor floor are curated, which means they are not sold on a “first-come” basis. As they are in high demand, we recommend filling out the application as soon as they become available. More information can be found at the Applications page.

In addition to the high-profile artists and authors Pensacon brings as guests, we also offer the opportunity for local artists and self-published authors to sell their artwork and books by purchasing a table at either Artist Alley or Writer’s Row. For more information, visit the Applications page.

If you are interested in covering Pensacon, applications will open in October. Keep an eye on our Applications page.

Please allow 2-3 weeks for review and follow up.

Members of the media who are approved for a media pass will be notified in advance to Pensacon. Interviews requests with Pensacon guests must be approved ahead of time. All requests will be reviewed and submitted through the proper channels, and you will be notified of your scheduled interview time and location, if granted.

Members of the media who wish to receive a media pass must first submit an application via the Applications page before the posted deadline. Approved media personnel will be provided with media passes that will allow them entry to the convention and official Pensacon events all weekend, as well as a media kit.