The extraordinary light display Nights of Lights is ready to kick off Saturday in downtown St. Augustine for the 2023 holiday season.
This is the 30th year for the event which boasts more than 3 million lights hanging from the area.
To kick off the fun, the city will have live entertainment starting tomorrow at 4 p.m., and then at 6:30 p.m. the lighting ceremony begins.
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News4JAX spoke to business owners and vendors in the historic square and said they love this time of year because they get to enjoy the sights, see more people and get an increase in sales.
“I would say that these two months are comparable to another four months on an average basis,” Christopher Holland, owner of South-A-Philly Steaks and Hoagies said. “So, if you took four months that aren’t these November, December and compared them to any other months it’s like 50% I guess. So, it’s significant.”
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It is expected that people might run into parking issues during the kickoff on Saturday. For that reason, the city is offering a solution for Free Park and Ride Shuttles from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. for two locations.
If you’re traveling from north of St. Augustine — from places like Jacksonville — it is encouraged to park at St. Johns County Health Department or the San Marco Lot.
The drop-off and pickup location will be at the Visitor Information Center.
Everyone else can park at Broudy’s Lot, and the drop-off and pick-up location will also be at the Visitor Information Center.
If you’re coming from Anastasia Island, there’s a shuttle that will run from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Park at Anastasia Baptist Church or R.B. Hunt Elementary and get picked up at Bridge of Lions.
If you can’t make it out tomorrow, don’t worry! The lights will be on all holiday season, until Jan. 28.
If you attend, please share your photos with us on SnapJAX by clicking this link.
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