ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The City of St. Augustine is gearing up for the busiest time of year, as the iconic holiday Nights of Lights festival kicks off this weekend.
Thousands of lights are draped throughout the historic city, leaving a dazzling spectacle for visitors.
Here's everything to know about this year's event, including important dates, free parking, shuttle services and more.
When is Nights of Lights?
The 2024-2025 Nights of Lights display will be up every night from Nov. 23, 2024, to Jan. 26, 2025.
The festival will begin Saturday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. with "Light Up! Night," followed by the official lighting ceremony in the Plaza de la Constitucion at 6:30 p.m.
Where are the lights?
The lights are like a blanket over St. Augustine, covering buildings, rooftops, hotels, restaurants and the Bridge of Lions over approximately 20 blocks of the city's historic district.
The lights are visible throughout the city, and visitors can see them by trolley, carriage, from the water or while walking around downtown.
Free parking & shuttle service
The City of St. Augustine Free Park and Ride shuttle will operate on select days during Nights of Lights. The shuttle services will first be available on Saturday, Nov. 23, for "Light-Up! Night."
Select days of operation
- Nov. 23 for "Light-Up! Night"
- Thanksgiving weekend: Friday - Saturday, Nov. 29 and Nov. 30
- All Saturdays in December
- Thursday, Dec. 26 - Monday, Dec. 30
- Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025
Light-Up! Night shuttle service
North & West City
The main shuttle available on Nov. 23 for the "Light-Up! Night" service will operate from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. from parking at the following locations outside of downtown:
- St. Johns County Health Department, 200 San Sebastian View (*All November dates and only Saturdays in December)
- Broudy's Lot, 198 W. King St. (corner of US-1 and W. King) (*All dates. Shuttles will operate only from the Broudy’s lot on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.)
- San Marco Lot, 301 San Marco Ave.
*The shuttle will also run at these locations on the select days throughout Nights of Lights*
Attendees will be picked up and dropped off at the Visitor Information Center located at 10 S. Castillo Dr.
Anastasia Island
Only on Nov. 23 for "Light-Up! Night," there will be free parking and special round-trip shuttle service available from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. along Anastasia Boulevard to pick up passengers from the following locations:
- Anastasia Baptist Church, 1650 A1A South
- R.B. Hunt Elementary, 125 Magnolia Dr.
Attendees will be picked up and dropped off near the east end of the Bridge of Lions, at the corner of Gerado Street and Flagler Boulevard in North Davis Shores.
Editor's Note: The shuttle service for Anastasia Island is only available on Nov. 23 for "Light-Up! Night"
For more information on the "Light-Up! Night" event, visit www.CityStAug.com/LightUpNight.
Hours of shuttle operation
Unless otherwise noted for special days, the shuttle service will run from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
On Saturday, Dec. 7, the shuttle will run from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for the scheduled Christmas Parade at 9 a.m.
STAR Circulator modified operation
The St. Augustine STAR Circulator will be operating on a modified schedule during Nights of Lights due to the increased traffic congestion in the area.
From Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, the service will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Normal operations will resume normal hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
For more information about Nights of Lights, visit www.NightsofLights.com.
