The 8th Panama City Songwriters Festival is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 2026, at six downtown venues. Passes are $60, or $100 for VIP.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Dates, tickets, venues and the schedule come from the Panama City Songwriters Festival, run for the Bay Youth Music Association. This page is updated each year at the same address.

The eighth annual Panama City Songwriters Festival is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 2026, in historic downtown Panama City. Songwriters from around Bay County and much farther afield play short sets of original songs in six small venues, all within walking distance of each other. One pass covers every venue on both nights. Buy tickets.

Know before you go

  • When: Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026; the ticket page lists 5 p.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Saturday
  • Where: six venues in historic downtown, centered on the Panama City Center for the Arts, 19 E. Fourth St.
  • Tickets: $60 general admission, $100 VIP, plus a service fee
  • Kickoff: the Four Rooms Experience, Thursday, Nov. 5, separate ticket
  • Proceeds: youth music programs through the Bay Youth Music Association
  • Questions: BayYouthMusic@gmail.com

Tickets

The festival’s ticket page sells two passes:

  • General admission, $60 plus a $1.50 service fee: access to every venue on both days.
  • VIP, $100 plus a $2.50 service fee: every venue for the whole festival, two free drink tickets a day, VIP seating where available, the Friday VIP after party with food and the Saturday after party.

There is no single-night or single-venue ticket on the page. Rooms are small, so arrive early for a set you do not want to miss.

Venues and schedule

The 2026 venues are all downtown:

  • Panama City Center for the Arts, 19 E. Fourth St., at Harrison Avenue
  • The Portal Downtown
  • Trigo (Courtyard)
  • Downtown Boxing Ring
  • Lightroom, a photography gallery and studio
  • Atelier, a candle studio

The posted festival schedule runs three rounds a night across the six rooms. The first sets start between 4:45 and 5:30 p.m., and the last round starts between 7:45 and 8:30 p.m. Most rounds pair two or three songwriters, who trade songs and the stories behind them. Will and Lindsey Thompson of the Bay Youth Music Association play a late set with friends at the Downtown Boxing Ring.

The 2026 lineup lists more than 40 songwriters, among them Corey Hall, Gage Cowart, Becca Tremmel, Hannah Stokes, Cat Ridgeway and David Yunker. Free festival apps for iPhone and Android let you build your own schedule and find the venues.

The Four Rooms Experience: Thursday, Nov. 5

The night before the festival, the Four Rooms Experience bills itself as “a time traveler’s jukebox”: four themed rooms, with timed groups rotating from one to the next. One ticket of any color gets you into all four rooms; friends who want to stay together should buy the same color. Costumes as a favorite musical character are encouraged. Check-in is 6:30 to 7 p.m., and the festival asks guests not to be late.

Who it helps

All proceeds go to the Bay Youth Music Association, a nonprofit founded in January 2014 by Bay County musician Will Thompson. The group has given instruments to the band programs at Arnold, Bay, Mosley and Bozeman high schools and pays scholarships for students going on to study music.

Parking and getting there

The festival does not publish its own parking plan. Many downtown spaces have 2- and 3-hour limits; the city’s downtown parking map shows the limits and the public lots for a longer evening. For its own festival at the same building, Bay Arts Alliance points visitors to the lot behind the Martin Theatre off Grace Avenue. Our historic downtown guide has more on parking, places to eat and the Social District rules.

What to know

  • Ages: the festival does not post an age limit on its ticket page; ask at BayYouthMusic@gmail.com before bringing children.
  • Weather: most sets are indoors or in courtyards, and no rain plan is published.
  • Volunteers: the festival recruits volunteers on its volunteer page.
  • Same weekend: Public Eye Soar, the free projection art festival at Gulf Coast State College, runs both nights too; see our Public Eye Soar guide.

More this season: fall festivals, live music and nightlife and things to do in Panama City.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Panama City Songwriters Festival in 2026?

The eighth annual festival is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 2026, in historic downtown Panama City. The ticket page lists 5 p.m. Nov. 6 to 10 p.m. Nov. 7.

How much are Panama City Songwriters Festival tickets?

A general admission pass covering every venue on both days is $60 plus a $1.50 fee. A VIP pass is $100 plus a $2.50 fee and adds drink tickets, VIP seating where available and the after parties.

Where are the Songwriters Festival venues?

The 2026 venues are the Panama City Center for the Arts, The Portal Downtown, Trigo (Courtyard), Downtown Boxing Ring, Lightroom and Atelier, all within walking distance of each other downtown.

Who runs the Panama City Songwriters Festival?

The festival raises money for the Bay Youth Music Association, a nonprofit that has given instruments and music scholarships to students across Bay County since 2014.

What is the Four Rooms Experience?

A separately ticketed kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, with timed groups rotating through four themed music rooms. Check-in is 6:30 to 7 p.m.