More Trolleys, Longer Hours for Pensacola Beach Air Show

In Brief:

🚌 Expanded Service: SRIA extends trolley hours and adds buses for Air Show

📍When & Where: July 11–12, on Pensacola Beach from Park East and Park West to Casino Beach

🚦Expect Delays: Riders should expect post-show gridlock and plan accordingly

🚫 Limited Stops: Access road trolley service is suspended until 6 p.m. on both days

🚶‍♀️Safety Reminder: Use designated pedestrian crosswalks only

In anticipation of large crowds for the 2025 Pensacola Beach Air Show, the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) will expand trolley hours and increase public transportation options on Friday, July 11, and Saturday, July 12.

To ease congestion and improve access to the air show at Casino Beach, SRIA is rolling out additional buses and modifying routes to better serve visitors.

On Friday, the three free open-air trolleys will begin operating at 7:30 a.m., with extended service to Park East, located one mile east of Portofino Resort, until 6 p.m. After that, the regular island trolley route will resume through midnight.

On Saturday, SRIA will deploy four extra buses in addition to the three trolleys starting at 6:30 a.m. These will also run to Park East through 6 p.m. before switching back to the standard nighttime service schedule.

Throughout both days, Park East and Park West riders can expect pick-up and drop-off at designated ECAT trolley stops — each marked with a bright feather flag to aid visibility.

After the show, trolleys headed east to Park East will line up in front of Sideline’s Sports Bar and the Hampton Inn on Via de Luna. Those going west to Park West will queue on Fort Pickens Road, near Surf & Sand Hotel and The Sandshaker.

Access road stops, including The Grand Marlin, Radical Rides/Laguna’s, Quietwater Beach, and the Boardwalk will be temporarily suspended until 6 p.m. both days to avoid gridlock.

SRIA warns that traffic after the show will be extremely heavy. Visitors who want to avoid long delays are encouraged to board the first departing fleet of buses once the event wraps.

Pedestrians are also urged to use marked crosswalks only for their safety.

The air show’s main event begins just before noon on Saturday and is free to attend. All trolley and bus services are also free and operated by SRIA in partnership with Escambia County Area Transit (ECAT).