Seven days: Taste of the Beach brings food, wine and music; Kevin Gates lives the Big Lyfe

Seven days out is your guide to entertainment events, concerts, festivals and activities in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

MONDAY

Holland Farms Pumpkin Patch & Maze

8 a.m. Sunday to Saturday through Nov. 5. Holland Farms, 2055 Homer Holland Road, Milton. Enjoy a farm hayride around the farm and to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin of your choice. New activities for this year include a 3/4-mile train ride around the farm and a new innertube hill slide. Other activities include corn box, horse and regular swings, spider web, pirate ship, zip lines, sandbox and an eight-acre corn maze with kiddie maze. More info: hollandfarmsonline.com.

Monday Night Blues

7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Seville Quarter and the Blues Society of Northwest Florida are bringing the “blues” back to the Seville Quarter Entertainment District. The event features live blues music and "BBQ and Bud" food and drink specials. More info: 850-434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

TUESDAY

Bands on the Beach

7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11. Gulfside Pavilion at Casino Beach, Pensacola Beach. Pensacola Beach's popular outdoor summer concert series with performers for every musical taste. Featuring a lineup of regional artists, Bands on the Beach delivers an eclectic musical experience throughout the entire summer. This week features String Farm. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Free. More info: 850-932-2257 or visitpensacolabeach.com.

Tuesday Night Jazz

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Enjoy jazz with Melodious Allen and The Funk Heads in Lili Marlene's. More info: 850-434-6211 or sevillequarter.com.

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UWF Singers: Bon Voyage Concert

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Center for Fine & Performing Arts at UWF, Building 82, 11000 University Parkway. The University of West Florida’s Dr. Grier Williams School of Music will present the UWF Singers in their Bon Voyage Concert. The program will feature a performance of “Joy” by art song and opera composer Ricky Ian Gordon with text by Langston Hughes. Additionally, the Concert Choir and newly formed Argo Chorus will perform. Free, but tickets are required. More info: uwf.edu/cfpa.

WEDNESDAY

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Wednesday, Oct. 12. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Born Troy Andrews, Trombone Shorty got his start at age 4 when he made his first appearance at Jazz Fest performing with Bo Diddley. At age 6, he was leading his own brass band. By his teenage years, he was hired by Lenny Kravitz to join the band he assembled for his Electric Church World Tour. Shorty is more than just a horn player. Catch a gig, open the pages of the New York Times or Vanity Fair, flip on any late-night TV show and you’ll see an undeniable star with magnetic charisma. $60. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

THURSDAY

Jewish Unity Celebration

5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13. Pensacola Chabad Jewish Center, 919 N. 12th Ave. In a modern celebration with ancient roots, the Jewish community of Pensacola will celebrate a once in seven years unity celebration called 'Hakhel' (lit. gathering). The unity event will feature live music, a barbecue, bar, entertainment, and a children's program. The celebration is expected to draw excited participants from all walks of Jewish life. More info: ChabadPensacola.com.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Thursday, Oct. 13. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Hailed as “musical explorers” by Rolling Stone, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong first took flight roughly a decade ago at the University of Maryland, and the pysch-funk trailblazers have since gone on to play more than a thousand shows across 44 states. Funk You will open the show. $25. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

FRIDAY

13th annual Taste of the Beach

4:35 p.m. Friday (VIP dinner) and 10 a.m. Saturday (festival), Oct. 14 and 15. Pensacola Beach. Taste of the Beach kicks off Friday night with a special, island-elegant, progressive VIP dinner experience. Saturday’s free outdoor festival features a daylong celebration of all things Southern, seafood, savory and sweet. As the festival opens 18 Pensacola Beach restaurants, stationed in booths surrounding the Gulfside Pavilion and overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, will begin serving their signature dishes for $8 each. The menu changes every year, but there will be plenty of seafood options, landlubber fare, beer, wine and frozen alcoholic concoctions. More info: TasteofPensacolaBeach.com.

10th annual Arrogant Steak Cookoff

6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. The Arrogant Steak Cookoff features 20 four-person cooking teams competing for awards and bragging rights for the best prepared New York Strip Steaks provided by Winn-Dixie. Ticket holders will try the teams’ offerings and vote for their favorite with a provided ticket or cash. There will also be a panel of judges awarding top prizes for their preferred steaks. Tickets are $50. A four-person cooking team is $500 and includes 10 additional tickets. For ages 21 and older. More info: sevillerotary.com.

Cinemas in the Sand

6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Pensacola Beach Gulfside Pavilion on Casino Beach. Pack up your beach chairs and a blanket, and dig your toes in the sugar-white sand while watching classic family movies on Pensacola Beach this fall. The Santa Rosa Island Authority invites families and kids, young and old, to its newest event, Cinemas in the Sand movie nights on Pensacola Beach. This weekend features “Hocus Pocus” (1993). Free. More info: aj_powell@sria-fla.com.

Bands on the Blackwater Fall Concert Series

7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Jernigan’s Landing, 5154 Willing St., Milton. Come by boat or bring a lawn chair and join friends and neighbors for the best live music on the Gulf Coast at the award winning, family-friendly Bands on the Blackwater concerts. The series offers a variety of music from local favorites to national touring bands. This week features Jessie Ritter. Free. More info: 850-983-5400 or facebook.com/BandsOnTheBlackwater.

The Phantom of the Opera

7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7 through 16. The Center, Clark Family Cultural Center, 400 S. Jefferson St. The Phantom of the Opera, Ballet Pensacola’s 2022-2023 season opener, tells the story of a masked figure lurking below in the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror on all the inhabit it. The masked figure falls madly in love with a young ballerina and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents and by employing his devious methods. Individual tickets range from $35 to $45. More info: balletpensacola.org.

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Hotel California - A Salute to the Eagles

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. A spirited blend of originality and the pursuit of excellence have taken Hotel California's “A Salute to the Eagles” to a level of recognition normally reserved for gold and platinum recording artists. Tickets start at $52.75. More info: 850-595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

Kevin Gates: Big Lyfe Tour

8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St. Hip hop superstar Kevin Gates (“2 Phones”) will perform live in concert. Gates’ debut studio album, Islah, was released in January 2016 and peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Prior to Islah, he released a number of mixtapes, all of which peaked in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart. Hosted by DJ Chose. Tickets start at $45.50. More info: 850-432-0800.

SATURDAY

Boo at the Zoo

10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15 through 30. Gulf Breeze Zoo, 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway. Boo at the Zoo offers scare-free, daytime fun for children and their families. Join the safe zoo neighborhood of Halloween entertainment, with kid-friendly fun around every corner. Includes a trick-or-treat trail with toys, treats, treasures, bounce houses, and face painting. More info: gbzoo.com.

WSRE PBS Wine & Food Classic

6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. SCI Building, 220 W. Garden St. The Wine & Food Classic returns with a walkabout tasting. This year’s event will celebrate Hispanic heritage with Latin American and Caribbean influenced cuisine from local chefs, live music performed by Nobius, and special guest Alejandra Ramos, host of “The Great American Recipe” on PBS. The new PBS series showcases the multiculturism that makes American food unique and iconic. $50. More info: wsre.org/wfc.

Melvins   

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Saturday, Oct. 15. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. The Melvins are one of modern music’s most influential bands. Having formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington, the group founded by singer/guitar player Buzz Osborne has been credited with merging the worlds of punk rock and heavy music, forming a new subgenre all its own. We Are The Asteroid will open the show. $25. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

World Ballet Series: Swan Lake

7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. A part of the World Ballet Series, Swan Lake will be performed live by a multinational cast of 50 professional ballet dancers gathered to bring the most famous love story to life. See the iconic Dance of the Little Swans, count the 32 fouettés performed by the Odile, and immerse yourself in Tchaikovsky's music. Tickets start at $45. More info: 850-595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

SUNDAY

Chicago the Musical

7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16 and 17. Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox St. There’s never been a better time to experience Chicago, Broadway’s razzle-dazzle smash. This triumphant hit musical is the recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy, thousands of standing ovations, and now the No. 1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history. Tickets start at $54. More info: 850-595-3880 or pensacolasaenger.com.

We Were Promised Jetpacks

7 p.m., doors; 8 p.m., show; Sunday, Oct. 16. Vinyl Music Hall, 2 S. Palafox St. Since releasing 2018’s “The More I Sleep The Less I Dream,” We Were Promised Jetpacks’ Adam Thompson, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with guitarist Michael Palmer, leaving a notable empty fourth corner in their practice room, it marked a transitory moment in the band’s career, and one that would be cemented by events to come. Breakup Shoes will open the show. $20. For all ages. More info and ticket purchase: vinylmusichall.com.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Taste of the Beach brings food, wine and music; Gates lives Big Lyfe