city
Panama City Beach
The resort corridor, the neighborhoods behind it, and the communities people mean when they say “the beach,” from Laguna Beach and Sunnyside to Grand Lagoon. West Bay lies north of the city limits.
Every year
Annual events
February
Mardi Gras at the beach
Pet parade, children’s parade, and the Krewe of Dominique Youx at Pier Park.
October
PCB Oktoberfest
At Aaron Bessant Park, beside Pier Park.
October
Pirates of the High Seas
A beach tradition around Pier Park. The October 2026 weekend was cancelled.
October
Thunder Beach
Rally week, when the strip gets loud and the roads get busy.
November
IRONMAN Florida
Race day closes parts of the course to cars, including stretches of the beach roads.
Dates vary from year to year; current dates are on This Week.
Home base, with sugar sand and the Gulf.
Panama City Beach is a city in Bay County on the Gulf of Mexico, linked to neighboring Panama City by the Hathaway Bridge. Front Beach Road runs the Gulf side. Thomas Drive serves the east end toward Grand Lagoon and St. Andrews State Park. Hutchison Boulevard, often called Middle Beach Road, sits one street back. Panama City Beach Parkway is US 98, where a lot of everyday errands happen.
Russell-Fields Pier, usually called the City Pier, is across from Pier Park. M.B. Miller Pier, usually called the County Pier, is farther east on Front Beach Road. Camp Helen State Park is at the west end near Lake Powell. Public beach accesses are numerous.
Laguna Beach, Sunnyside, Carillon Beach, Breakfast Point, Pier Park, Edgewater (east of Pier Park), Front Beach, and Grand Lagoon are all parts of the same beach, each with its own feel. Walton County and 30A begin west of the county line, and Mexico Beach is a separate city to the east, still in Bay County.
Explore nearby
- Laguna Beach — Dune lakes and low-rise streets on the west end, a census place of its own.
- Front Beach — The Gulf road of towers and beach accesses, the PCB most visitors picture.
- Pier Park — Open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment on Front Beach.
- Grand Lagoon — The east end’s boating water, off Thomas Drive near the pass and Shell Island.
- Panama City — The bay city: downtown, St. Andrews, and Millville.
- Mexico Beach — A small Gulf Coast city in eastern Bay County.
City of Panama City Beach, Bay County
20,375 estimated · 18,094 counted · July 1, 2025 estimate · April 1, 2020 Census · U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts
Inside it
- Laguna Beach — Dune lakes and low-rise streets on the west end, a census place of its own.
- Sunnyside — A neighborhood between the dune lakes and the towers.
- Carillon Beach — A gated west-end village with Lake Carillon, Market Street, and private walkovers.
- Breakfast Point — Sidewalks, trails, and a Publix at the gate, inland from the strip.
- Pier Park West — A separate retail strip just west of Pier Park, on the south side of US 98.
- Grand Lagoon — The east end’s boating water, off Thomas Drive near the pass and Shell Island.
- Front Beach — The Gulf road of towers and beach accesses, the PCB most visitors picture.
- Celadon — Gulf-front condos on the west end, quieter than the pier and still close enough for a night out.
- Grand Panama — A Front Beach tower campus with pools, a grill, and the Gulf out front.
- Shores of Panama — An east-end beachfront campus on Thomas Drive, with a lagoon-style pool deck.
- Calypso — Gulf-front towers on Front Beach, a short walk from Pier Park.
- Majestic Beach Resort — Gulf-front towers on Front Beach, with pool decks, sand, and Pier Park a drive west.
- Origin at Seahaven — Condo living in the Seahaven stretch, mid-strip on Front Beach.
- Tidewater Beach Resort — Gulf-front high-rise on the west-central strip, just short of Pier Park.
- Aqua — Gulf-front high-rise at 15625 Front Beach Road.
- Emerald Beach Resort — Gulf-front condo resort at 14701 Front Beach Road, mid-strip with Pier Park to the west.
- Edgewater — The resort and the Shoppes at Edgewater, east of Pier Park.
- Tapestry Park — Homes and townhomes inland from the Gulf.