FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla — The 2021 Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival and Torchlight Parade in downtown Fort Walton Beach will be held this spring, the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce has announced.
This year’s event will be held on Friday, April 30, and Saturday, May 1, with the Torchlight Parade set for Monday, May 3. It is the 65th annual festival.
In recent years, the pirate festival was held the first weekend in June. Originally, it was held on Labor Day weekend.
Chamber officials said moving the festival to the off-peak time of year benefits both the festival’s hotel-partners and tourists, who enjoy budget-friendly pricing and more comfortable weather.
The festival was canceled last year due to increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases.
