Top image: The crowd size is estimated at 10,000 during the Mavis Staples concert on Friday, Sept. 4 in downtown St. Augustine during Celebrate 450! Above: The Main Stage of Celebrate 450! in downtown St. Augustine just before Aaron Neville performed. Photos by Renee Unsworth
By Renee Unsworth
Day 1 of Celebrate 450! on Friday, Sept. 4 included a wide variety of activities celebrating St. Augustine’s 450th year! Performances by area musicians and cultural groups took place on stages throughout downtown St. Augustine, a Gilded Age fashion show was held at Flagler College, artists displayed new exhibits in local galleries during First Friday Art Walk, Velo Fest provided a bicycle valet on the island side of the Bridge of Lions, free shuttles brought festival-goers into town, and the night was complete with Main Stage performances by the People Helping People Gospel Choir, Mavis Staples and her band, with headliner Aaron Neville performing for a crowd of more than 10,000 people — all standing in the streets, or in chairs on green spaces, enjoying the music and dancing.
Day 2 of Celebrate 450! includes a huge lineup of events, including a Feast of Thanksgiving and landing re-enactment at the Fountain of Youth, a Running of the Bulls on Aviles Street, an Art Fair on Cuna Street, cultural exhibits in museums all over town, live music of all kinds, and headliners Justin Townes Earle, JJ Grey & Mofro, and Emmylou Harris with Rodney Crowell, followed by Fireworks Over The Matanzas 450!
For details on Sept. 5-6 Celebrate 450! events, see the links below.
Here’s list from Totallystaugustine.com: totallystaugustine.com/sept-4-8-st-augustine-celebrates-450-years-the-locals-list/
The City’s event list: staugustine-450.com/full-schedule-of-events
Live music by local groups was performed from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4 on the gazebo stage in the Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown St. Augustine during Celebrate 450!, a three-day music and street festival celebrating St. Augustine’s 450 years.
