Source: FORC3 Studios
On May 22, 2021, FORC3 Studios held its first annual Gulf Coast Culture Fest in downtown Pensacola at Seville Square and Bartram Park. This festival was centered around the ideas of diversity and inclusion and offered something for everyone. It was a celebration of art and the many different cultures around the Gulf Coast and surrounding area. It consisted of various forms of live entertainment, including singing, dancing, poetry, modeling, and much more.
Gulf Coast Culture Fest premiered as a two-part festival. The daytime portion of the festival took place in Seville Square, downtown Pensacola from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. This part of the festival included all of the live entertainment acts, vendors, and food trucks.
Calvin Griffin was the organizer behind the 2021 Gulf Coast Culture Fest. “We were excited to celebrate community unity by including diverse forms of entertainment, vendors and food at our festival. We had a large variety of performances ranging from Emerald Coast Okinawa Dancers, Pensacola Poetry, to even a cultural Fashion Show. Throughout the day, it was a beautiful sight to see people from different backgrounds interacting and celebrating each other,” said Griffin.
Gulf Coast Kids House was the event’s chosen charity and received a donation from the proceeds collected from the daytime portion of the festival.
Following the daytime portion in Seville Square was the Gulf Coast Short Film Fest. Gulf Coast Short Film Fest was a community wide film festival that was presented this year as part of Gulf Coast Culture Fest. It showcased short films submitted by filmmakers from across the Gulf Coast and surrounding areas. The festival was held at Bartram Park, downtown Pensacola at 8 p.m. that evening.
“We were fortunate to have a total of 7 different short films screened at our first Gulf Coast Short Film Fest. It made for a magical evening of watching various short films outside under the stars while sitting on the water. The attendees were even able to enjoy an amazing firework show that took place on the bay from the baseball stadium located down the street,” said Griffin.
Timewarp Drive-In Movie Theaters sponsored the Gulf Coast Short Film Fest and provided the screen for the festival. “I am so grateful to everyone who came out and supported this year’s first festival. It was such a joy being able to witness the community come together and embrace each other,” Griffin stated.
The second Gulf Coast Culture Fest is currently being planned to return in May of 2022.
