NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — On Thursday morning, thousands of residents from across the First Coast gathered at Neptune Beach to partake in a cherished local tradition known as Petesgiving.

Originally established by Pete Jensen, Pete’s Bar has been a cornerstone of the community since 1933. Managed by the Jensen family for many years before changing hands in 2021, the bar solidified its place as a Thanksgiving hotspot with the launch of its Petesgiving celebration back in 1985.

Christian Thorne, who recently relocated to the area with his wife Kaitlyn and their friend Tristan, describes Petesgiving as his warm-up for the Thanksgiving feast.

“It’s a really great group of people; you don’t find many events like this by the beach where you can gather with so many others,” Thorne remarked. “This is the pregame, and we have plenty of turkey, lots of food, and a lot of cooking ahead. It’s going to be a fantastic time.”

Another visitor, Sasha Napier, stopped in with her friends Tori and Meagan.

“It’s the pregame. A little bit of the crowd and socializing before we go see the family and sit down and eat,” Napier said.

40 years later, the tradition is still going strong — with new recognition from the City of Neptune Beach.

Thursday morning, Mayor Cori Bylund attended the event to unveil new honorary street signs; First Street, between Lime Place and Lemon Street, will now be known as “Pete Jensen Way.” She says the event has given the city’s residents a lot to be thankful for.

“It’s a Thanksgiving miracle, everybody behaves and loves being together, it’s just amazing. I love our community,” Mayor Bylund said.

Loving the community, loving the history, and loving the tradition, patrons like Hannah Buss say there’s no other place like it.

“This is the most epic place to be on Thanksgiving,” Buss told First Coast News.