Summer in St. Augustine means FREE events, such as outdoor films, live music each week at St. Augustine Beach Pier and in the historic Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown, at the Colonial Oak Music Park, free events, concerts, and more! To submit an event, email totallystaugustine@gmail.com
MUSIC & ART BY THE SEA – Concerts every Wednesday
The 19th annual Music by the Sea concert series The 19th annual Music by the Sea concert series began May 26, 2021 and continues each Wednesday. This is a FREE concert series that is held from 7 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday through September 1, 2021 at the St. Augustine Beach Pier Pavilion, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach. The series features 15 bands playing a wide variety of music including jazz, blues, classic rock, pop, reggae, disco and country. In addition to the music, guests can dine before the show with a different local restaurant each week and view artwork by local artists and artisans. Bring a cooler, a beach chair, and get ready for the best entertainment in all of Northeast Florida. Admission is always FREE. M0re details here.
MUSIC BY THE SEA CONCERT SCHEDULE
- June 2: Slang — The 80’s & 90’s FOOD: Riptide Smokehouse
- June 9: Amy Alysia & Soul Operation — R&B – Dance FOOD: Sporks
- June 16: Dewey Via Band — Americana FOOD: Kusina Colorado
- June 23: The Committee — Pop/Rock, Dance FOOD: Little Sombrero
- June 30: Bluesdog 66 — Blues – Rock FOOD: Riptide Smokehouse
- July 7: Soulfire — Dance – Disco – Pop FOOD: Sporks
- July 14: JW Gilmore & Blues Authority — Blues FOOD: Big Island Bowls
- July 21: Those Guys — Classic – Southern Rock FOOD: Little Sombrero
- July 28: Ain’t Too Proud — Dance FOOD: Kusina Colorado
- August 4: Dakota — Country – Southern FOOD:Rock Sporks
- Augustine 11: Chillula — Pop – Dance FOOD: Little Sombrero
- August 18: Str8up — Funk – Dance FOOD: Big Island Bowls
- August 25: The Carpetbaggers — Eclectic Americana FOOD: Kusina Colorado
- September 1: Phoenix — Classic Rock FOOD: Riptide Smokehouse
CONCERTS IN THE PLAZA – Concerts every Thursday
Concerts in the Plaza, St. Augustine’s summer-long music series, returns for its 30th season with live music in a gazebo under ancient oak trees in downtown St. Augustine. The FREE concerts are held in the Plaza de la Constitucion, between King Street and Cathedral Place. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. each Thursday between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The schedule is below. Go to plazaconcerts.com
Concerts in the Plaza 2016 Schedule
All concerts are free and attendees should bring lounge chairs for seating. Picnic dinners are popular, but alcoholic beverages are prohibited in the Plaza.
June 19 – St Augustine Music Festival’s 15th Anniversary Celebration
ST. AUGUSTINE ECOCINEMA AT THE AMP – Free films June 15, Aug. 17, Oct. 19
From the St. Augustine Amphitheatre
The St. Augustine Amphitheatre’s Green Hands Initiative, in partnership with the St. Augustine Film Society, The Golden Way and Beaches Go Green proudly present the St. Augustine EcoCinema: A Four-Part Environmental Film Series featuring screenings of environmental documentaries on the Front Porch at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m.
All four screening events are free and open to the public due to generous sponsorships made by the Friends of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre (FOSAA) and Maritime Studios. This summer through fall, the community is invited to view four documentaries addressing the environmental topics of plastic pollution, rising sea levels, food waste and marine habitat destruction.
The documentaries will be shown on the Front Porch at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre beginning at 7pm, followed by a question and answer session with local experts. Local organizations will also be on hand to answer questions and share information on ways to positively address these four areas of environmental concern. All film screenings are free and open to the public with free parking at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Concessions and a food truck will be on site. Socially distanced seating will be on a first come, first seated basis and masks will be required unless seated.
On Tuesday, June 15, Part Two will feature two documentaries addressing rising sea levels, “Sinking Cities: Miami” and “The Oldest City Underwater.” “Sinking Cities: Miami” is one of four “Sinking Cities” episodes exploring how global cities are coming to grips with the real-time effects of rising seas and extreme weather. “The Oldest City Underwater” addresses rising water levels within St. Augustine. Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser and others experts will be the evening’s panelists following the films.
“Wasted! The Story of Food Waste” will be the featured documentary in Part Three of the series on Tuesday, August 17. This Anthony Bourdain-produced documentary aims to change the way people buy, cook, recycle, and eat food. Through the eyes of chefs, audiences will see how chefs make the most of every kind of food, transforming scraps into incredible dishes that create a more secure food system. WASTED! explains how food waste contributes to climate change and shows how each of us can make small changes to solve one of the greatest problems of the 21st Century.
Thefinal screening will take place on Tuesday, October 19 with “Blue,” the stunning, intimate and grand documentary that delves deep into how industrial scale fishing, habitat destruction, species loss and pollution have placed the ocean in peril. “Blue” is a provocative journey into the ocean realm, witnessing this critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice.
Historic downtown St. Augustine’s most attractive and largest outdoor venue is coming back and hopping. Beginning in June, The Colonial Oak Music Park will again host concerts and other entertainment every week. Shows will range from folk to funk, and even include some professional improv comedy.
COLONIAL OAK MUSIC PARK – Free concerts and some ticketed events
The Colonial Oak Music Park, located on Saint George Street in historic St. Augustine at the Colonial Quarter, will host free concerts each weekend. A new website has been launched, www.thecolonialoakmusicpark.com, with the music lineup listed throughout each month.
FREE CONCERTS IN JUNE
- Monday, June 7: Stephen Pigman at 3 p.m.
Stay updated at www.thecolonialoakmusicpark.com/events
FREE THINGS TO DO
Did you know that St. Johns County residents with a valid ID are always admitted FREE of charge to many local attractions?
In addition, residents and visitors receive FREE admission to DOZENS of other sights, including city and county parks, art galleries, winery and distillery tours, and SO. MUCH. MORE!
Here is the list …
Free for residents with ID
- Lightner Museum, 75 King St., 904-824-2874, www.lightnermuseum.org, **FREE to St. Johns County residents on Sundays.
- The Oldest House (St. Augustine Historical Society), 14 Francis St., www.staugustinehistoricalsociety.org
- Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, 14 Saint George St., 904-824-0192, www.oldestwoodenschoolhouse.com
- City Walks tours, part of Tour St. Augustine, (select tours are free — Black History & Civil Rights tour, Pet Walk Pup Crawl and Plaza Stroll Walking Tour), 4 Granada St., 904-825-0087, www.staugcitywalks.com
- St. Augustine Visitor Information Center exhibits, 10 W. Castillo Drive, 904-825-1000, staugustine-450.com
- Flagler College tours (Hotel Ponce de Leon), 74 King St., 904-823-3378, legacy.flagler.edu
Many other local attractions offer discounted admission to St. Johns County residents and St. Augustine locals with valid ID.
Free for everyone
- San Sebastian Winery (daily tours and wine tastings), 157 King St., 904-826-1594, www.sansebastianwinery.com
- St. Augustine Distillery Company, 112 Riberia St., in the historic Lincolnville area of downtown St. Augustine. Free tours and tastings. 904-825-4962, staugustinedistillery.com
- Fort Matanzas National Monument, 8635 A1A South, 904-471-0116, **the ferry to the fort is not always in operation. Please inquire before going. www.nps.gov/foma/
- St. Photios Chapel, 41 Saint George St., 904-829-8205, www.stphotios.com
- Pena-Peck House (donations suggested for tours), 143 Saint George St., 904-829-5064, penapeckhouse.com
- Father Miguel O’Reilly Museum, 32 Aviles St., 904-826-0750, www.oreillyhouse.org
- Mission Nombre de Dios Museum, 27 Ocean Ave., from San Marco Avenue, 904-824-2809, missionandshrine.org
- St. Augustine Art Association, 22 Marine St., 904-824-2310, www.staaa.org
- Art Galleries of St. Augustine (AGOSA): An association of diverse and eclectic art galleries located in the nation’s oldest city. Go to www.artgalleriesofstaugustine.org
- First Friday Art Walk, 5 to 9 p.m. the first Friday or each month in St. Augustine galleries and other locations. Complimentary trolleys on art walk route from King Street. www.artgalleriesofstaugustine.org or www.facebook.com/ArtGalleriesOfStAugustine
- Uptown Saturday Night, 5 to 9 p.m. the last Saturday of each month in shops along San Marco Avenue in Uptown St. Augustine. FREE parking street-side in the Mission parking lot. Stay updated at www.facebook.com/UptownStAugustine
- City of St. Augustine parks, 10 city-managed parks, most with playgrounds for little ones. Click here for the city park list
- St. Johns County parks, more than 30 parks throughout St. Johns County. Click here for list of county parks
- Splash park and beachfront park at St. Johns County Ocean Pier, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, www.co.st-johns.fl.us/Recreation/FishingPier
- Self-guided walking tour, www.citywalkingguide.com/staugustine
- Vilano Beach Pier & Pavilion, 260 Vilano Road, Vilano Beach. www.vilanobeachfl.com
- Farmers markets, there are 6 ongoing farmers markets in St. Johns County; click here to view the list of markets
- Beaches (admission is FREE to ALL St. Augustine and St. Johns County beaches): Find free parking and walk to the beach. There is a fee to drive and park on some beaches. Go to www.sjcfl.us/Beaches
FREE ONGOING EVENTS
- St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market — Free and open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Saturday at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, 1340C A1A South. Free admission and free parking.
- Wednesday Pier Farmers Market — From 8 a.m. to noon every Wednesday at the St. Augustine Beach Pier parking lot, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach.
- Salt Air Farmers Market — From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday year-round at the Marineland Marina, 101 Tolstoy Lane, from A1A South, across the street from Marineland Dolphin Adventure. www.saltairfarmersmarket.com
- Nocatee Farmers Market — From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Saturday of the month in the Nocatee community. Free admission and parking in the Nocatee community in Ponte Vedra Beach. www.nocatee.com
FREE SUMMER EVENTS
- Music by the Sea FREE summer concerts — Mid-May through Mid-September— 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the pavilion at the St. Augustine Beach Pier
- Concerts in the Plaza FREE summer concerts — 7 p.m. Thursdays (May-September) in the gazebo of the Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown St. Augustine.
FREE WINTER EVENTS
-
- Nights of Lights — 3rd Saturday of November through February 2, 2020 — More than 3 million white lights decorate the City of St. Augustine during the holiday season.
- Light Up the Night (formerly called Beach Blast Off) — The BIGGEST New Year’s Eve party in Northeast Florida! Every December 31 from 4-10 pm; Fireworks will be at the St. Augustine Beach Pier & Pavilion, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach. www.sabevents.com
