Penascola gears up for DeLuna Fest

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - We are less than 24 hours from one of the biggest weekends of the year on Pensacola Beach. DeLuna Fest 2012 starts Friday with Pearl Jam as its headliner that night.

Pensacola Beach’s full transformation into an outdoor concert hall is wrapping up.  Crowds anxiously await the 70 bands performing on four stages.

“It’s just going to be a really great event, lots of fun, lots of sun," said tourism official Scott Mitchell.

Mitchell and his team organized the event.  He said for the third straight year, conditions look great for the big weekend.

“Having the weather certainly helps," Mitchell said.  "Rain on the beach isn’t a big deal because it just sinks into the sand, but obviously people want to be on a sunny beach.”

Mitchell is already calling 2012 the most successful festival so far.  And why not, with these three headliners taking the stage, DeLuna will draw national attention.

“Pearl Jam is an iconic rock band the last 20 years.  Foo Fighters is the biggest rock band going; they won five Grammys this year, and then Zac Brown is the number one country act with the number one album right now," Mitchell said.  "To have those three acts in one place, we think adds incredible value to our ticket and puts us on the festival on the map.”

Mitchell expects crowds of nearly 30,000, made up of many who have never been to the Gulf Coast.

“We’ve sold tickets in 50 states and 14 foreign countries, so we know there’s a lot of outside people coming to Pensacola and Pensacola Beach for this event," Mitchell said.

Mitchell anticipates some problems with parking on the beach.  To combat this, he said trolleys will be available at three downtown stops.