About Us
Mardi Gras in Pensacola has grown each year over the past decade
Mardi Gras in Pensacola has grown each year over the past decade and the Pensacola Mardi Gras Grand Parade (link) alone draws 60-90 thousand people annually to downtown Pensacola. In fact, our town loves a parade so much that, in addition to Mardi Gras, we hold parades celebrating Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Fiesta Pensacola too. Pensacola Parade People is the only store dedicated solely to parade supplies in Pensacola. Because parades are our business, we strive to support our local Krewes by giving them a pleasurable shopping experience with superior customer service. We like getting to know our customers and do our best to cater to special requests.
We’re proud to be from Pensacola.
That’s why we invest in our community in many different ways like sponsoring Pensacola Mardi Gras and many local Krewe charity events. Buying from the Parade People means you’re supporting our local community. At Parade People, parading organizations of all sizes can order custom color mixes and customized throw beads exclusive to their Krewe as well as hold a “shopping social” at the store. Private, after hours “Shopping Socials” allow Krewes to mix and mingle with their fellow members, distribute their Krewe branded merchandise, and guide new members on what to purchase.
Serving those who ride in area parades is the core of our business
While serving those who ride in area parades is the core of our business, our store is open to the public and has fun parade and Mardi Gras themed items for the young and young at heart. Teachers outfitting a classroom, principals buying for a school carnival event, parents planning kids’ birthday parties, Vacation Bible School coordinators, and parade-goers alike will all find plenty of fun, affordably priced novelties and decorations at PPP.
So laissez les bon temps rouler! (translation: let the good times roll)
Meet the Bead Ladies
Mother and daughter pair, Audrey and Terry Preston, have been participating in parades all along the Gulf Coast since the 1980’s. They are floating members of Krewes in Pensacola and active in the local community participating in volunteer work through their churches, Subwest Rotary Club, Fiesta Forces, Impact 100, the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, and many more…
Terry Preston
Co-Owner, retired
From 1978 to 2025, Terry called Pensacola “home” and has enjoyed watching Mardi Gras festivities in the Greater Pensacola Area expand…they just keep getting better and better! Drawn to to Pensacola by the glittering, white sands and her retired military parents, Terry quickly took to the Pensacola parading traditions and has been active in various Krewes since the 1980s. Her first floating experience came in 1998 when she rode with a women’s Krewe…in the back of a pick-up truck in the Pensacola Beach parade. Since then, parading in Pensacola has gotten even more fun and every year sees more Krewes and bigger, better floats added to our parades. Introducing ‘newbies’ (visitors, transplants, and natives) to Pensacola’s Mardi Gras experience has always been her favorite part of the festivities. When there’s not a parade to be had (a rare occurrence for sure), you’ll find her following her favorite blues and zydeco bands. Terry splits her time in retirement between Washington DC and New Orleans but always returns to Pensacola for Mardi Gras!
Audrey Preston
Co-Owner
Raised on king cake and moon pies, Audrey’s had the “bon temps” spirit since she was in diapers and grew up catching her grandpa’s and dad’s throws in Pensacola parades. As a Pensacola native, she believes “a parade ain’t a parade without beads!” Audrey honed the fine art of arriving early and staking out the best bead-catching spot until she was old enough to cross the barricades as a “floater in training”…aka a safety walker (a path her younger sister also took). Walking the line of floats before the parade to admire everyone’s handiwork and trade custom Krewe beads and pins is her favorite part of any parade. The next best part is spending time with Krewe friends, new and old, at year-round festivities. When the floats have been parked in their barns and the streets have been swept, you’ll find her playing roller derby or hanging with her rescued Great Danes.
We are the “bead ladies” behind
Pensacola Parade People LLC.
Our family knows parades and we LOVE spreading the Pensacola parade fever! After countless bead-buying trips out of state we recognized the need for a wider selection of quality beads and throws at affordable prices right here in the Pensacola Bay Area, and decided that NOW is the time to open a Mardi Gras store devoted exclusively to serving our Pensacola Parading Community! Come see us at the store and “LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER!”