Historic St. Augustine’s 25th Annual Nights of Lights kicks off on Saturday, November 17, when the city turns on its 3 million twinkling lights to spread holiday cheer throughout the Oldest City!

Don’t miss Flagler College and the Lightner Museum, which are known for their especially spectacular displays. Lights continue throughout the Plaza de la Constitución, which also features a large Christmas tree.

Saturday’s festivities start with live music at 4 p.m. outside the Lightner Museum, followed by a special performance by the All Star Orchestra in the Plaza de la Constitución at 5:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the big countdown begins to light the tree and all 3 million lights around town. Live music continues until 8 p.m.

The award-winning display runs throughout February 3, 2019, and is accompanied by plenty of holiday festivities including extended shop hours to allow for nighttime shopping as well as seasonal specials for train and trolley tours.

Nights of Lights pays homage to the traditional Spanish practice of displaying a white candle in windows during the Christmas holidays. Candles in the window allude to the story in which Mary and Joseph could not find an inn to give them shelter on Christmas Eve. When the Spanish put candles in their windows, they were symbolically making room in their homes and hearts.

Parking

The City of St. Augustine provides a free park-and-ride shuttle service beginning November 17  and continuing on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend (November 23 and 24) and then every Saturday in December (December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29).

The shuttle operates from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. with pick-ups approximately every 20 minutes. For details and maps of the shuttle service, visit here.