Pensacola Beach Is Racing Bathtubs This Labor Day Weekend
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One of Pensacola Beach’s strangest Labor Day traditions is happening Sunday, September 6.
The Beach Famous Bathtub Races take over the water behind Bamboo Willie’s from 2 PM to 4 PM, with teams attempting to race homemade bathtub boats across Santa Rosa Sound while crowds watch from the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk.
Yes, they really race bathtubs.
Pensacola Beach Bathtub Races Event Details
Sunday, September 6
2 PM to 4 PM
Bamboo Willie’s
400 Quietwater Beach Road
Pensacola Beach
The races take place on Santa Rosa Sound directly behind Bamboo Willie’s at the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk.
Watching is free.
What Are the Pensacola Beach Bathtub Races?
The concept is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
Teams build floating vessels around bathtubs and then race them through Santa Rosa Sound.
Some creations make it across looking surprisingly seaworthy. Others provide most of the entertainment by struggling to stay upright.
The combination of homemade boats, costumes, competition and unpredictable results has helped make the Bathtub Races one of the more unusual annual traditions on Pensacola Beach.
A Pensacola Beach Tradition Since the 1980s
The Pensacola Beach Bathtub Races date back to the early 1980s.
What started as a quirky local event has grown into a Labor Day weekend tradition at Bamboo Willie’s, bringing spectators to the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk for an afternoon that looks very different from a normal beach day.
The event has also helped raise money for Pensacola Beach Elementary School and other local causes over the years.
Want to Race a Bathtub?
You do not have to stay on shore.
Teams can register to compete in the Bathtub Races for $30.
Participants build their own bathtub vessel and take on the race course in Santa Rosa Sound.
If you have ever looked at a bathtub and thought it belonged on the water, this might be your chance.
Make a Full Pensacola Beach Day Out of It
The Bathtub Races fall on Labor Day weekend, so there is plenty happening before and after the competition.
Grab lunch around the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, watch the races from 2 PM to 4 PM, spend the late afternoon on the beach and stick around for the Labor Day fireworks that evening.
The fireworks are scheduled to begin at 8 PM over Pensacola Beach.
Watch the Fireworks From the Water
If you want a different view of Sunday night’s fireworks, Frisky Mermaid is offering a special End of Summer Fireworks Cruise.
The cruise heads onto the water before the show and gives passengers a waterfront view of the fireworks over Pensacola Beach.
That makes it easy to turn the Bathtub Races into a full afternoon and evening on the beach.
Book the Pensacola Beach Fireworks Cruise
What to Know Before You Go
Labor Day weekend can bring heavier traffic and parking demand to Pensacola Beach, especially around the Boardwalk.
Arriving before the 2 PM race start will give you more time to park and find a good place to watch.
The event is outdoors on the waterfront, so sunscreen, water and clothes appropriate for a hot September afternoon are a good idea.
Watching the races is free.
This Might Be the Most Pensacola Beach Event of Labor Day Weekend
Plenty of beach towns have Labor Day festivals.
Pensacola Beach races bathtubs.
The Beach Famous Bathtub Races happen Sunday, September 6 from 2 PM to 4 PM behind Bamboo Willie’s, with fireworks following later that evening.
If you are looking for something different to do during Labor Day weekend, this one deserves a spot on the list.
For more festivals, concerts and things happening around Pensacola this September, check the Must Do Pensacola events calendar.
You can also find the month’s biggest events in our September Things to Do in Pensacola guide.
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