Pensacola waited three years for a complete Blue Angels show. It was worth the wait! Emma Kennedy, Pensacola News Journal © Gregg Pachkowski/gregg@pnj.com The Blue Angels perform over Pensacola Beach on Friday, July 9, 2021.
Thousands of beachgoers braved stifling heat and humidity Friday some setting up before dawn to cheer on the Blue Angels for their first full homecoming dress rehearsal in three years.
The consensus on the beach Friday? Things finally feel back to normal after a difficult year of pandemic disruptions including the cancellation of the Blue’s show last year and the Pensacola Bay Bridge’s nine-month closure.
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Tourism officials have said that the bridge detour over Garcon Point Bridge in Santa Rosa County for the past few months has affected some tourists plans by making it more difficult to travel between Pensacola and the beach. However, the biggest impact has come from locals avoiding taking weekend trips to the beach.
Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender, whose district covers the beach, said Memorial Day weekend traffic can be difficult to gauge because so many people carpool in groups or stay out at the beach for events such as the annual LGBT Memorial Weekend Pensacola celebration.
Still, he said, the traffic counts seem to be rising close to the pre-pandemic numbers of 2019.