ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Thousands of people gathered around the Plaza De La Constitucion Saturday night for the kickoff of St. Augustine’s annual Nights of Lights celebration, marking the official start of the holiday season in the nation’s oldest city.
“It’s the best night of the year,” said St. Augustine resident Suzanne Patterson, who, along with Michelle Chapman, arrived at 1 p.m. to secure a front-row spot for the evening’s illumination ceremony.
The pair, who have attended the event for the past decade, say it’s become a cherished tradition. “You get to see all of the lights just start from the beginning. It’s the beginning of the holiday season,” Patterson said.
Local businesses are also embracing the seasonal surge in visitors. Ky Rooff, project manager at The Kookaburra Coffee, describes the event as their “Super Bowl of the season.”
“We really try and get as prepared as possible so that way when it does come around we’re ready to serve both all of our regulars and all of the tourists who come and step by as well,” Rooff said.
But this year’s event is a little bit different than last year.
The changes come after city leaders were awarded nearly $1 million ($851,000) as they planned to address increased costs associated with the event following last year’s high attendance, and an even higher number of complaints about the traffic it caused.
Parking and security are some of the major changes this year.
One of those changes is the new ordinance about illegal parking.
In late August, the City Commission approved a new ordinance raising the fine for illegal parking from $35 to $100. Officials said this is part of a new push to reduce congestion and improve public safety.
For security, police will be directing pedestrian traffic at key intersections.
RELATED | St. Johns County commissioner proposes task force ahead of wildly popular Nights of Lights festival
Barricades will guide foot traffic to cross only at designated spots, and some street parking will be removed to keep vehicles moving.
A couple of those places will be Cathedral Place and Avenida Menendez.
Vehicle barricades will block certain streets to control traffic; westbound Bridge of Lions will have right-turn only at peak times.
There are shuttles offering free transportation back and forth at these locations:
- Broudy’s Lot, 198 West King Street, St. Augustine, off U.S. 1
- North San Marco Lot, 301 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine
- St. Johns County Health Department, 200 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, off U.S. 1)
For people using rideshare pickups and drop-offs, Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m.–2 a.m. will be limited to five specific locations to reduce congestion.
The holiday display kicked off with live performances at 4 p.m., and the light-up night ceremony began at 6:30 pm in the plaza.
Seventy public portable toilets will be placed throughout the Historic Downtown District, some for the duration of the Nights of Lights season, and some placed temporarily for special events.
A map of all public restrooms, permanent and temporary, will be available in the Nights of Lights mobile app.
The event runs for 33 different days through January 11th.