As Pensacola’s Chocolate and Cheese Fest returns for its second year on Feb. 18, event promoter Christie Sachse, owner of Apex Shows and Events, is hoping to make some improvements. She’s starting with sprinkling more cheese, and more chocolate, into the lineup.
While the turnout for last year’s first-ever festival was double what she imagined, many attendees took to social media after the 2023 festival wrapped with critiques of the festival’s design. Much of the criticism stemmed from the lack of sampling stations for varieties of cheese and chocolate as the festival’s name indicated, as there was only one cheese sampling table.
Sachse said she took this feedback to action in planning this year’s festival, which she hopes will be bigger and better than last year’s. The 2024 Pensacola Chocolate and Cheese Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Community Maritime Park at 301 West Main St.
“Last year, it was a huge success. It was super busy,” Sachse said. “I just hope we have a great turnout.”