Nights of Lights image from floridashistoriccoast.com
Nights of Lights
Nov. 18-Jan. 31: During Nights of Lights, St. Augustine glows with holiday magic from the ground to the rooftops. Selected by National Geographic in 2011 and 2012 as one of the 10 best holiday lighting displays in the world, St. Augustine’s Night of Lights features millions of tiny white lights that create a magical atmosphere in the nation’s oldest city. Tracing its origins to the Spanish tradition of displaying a white candle in the window during the Christmas holidays, the spectacular lighting reflects the city’s history and illuminates the beautiful setting for lasting holiday memories. The lights are turned on at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18 and come on a sunset each evening through January 31. Go to nightsoflights.com for more details.
- FREE PARKING & SHUTTLES into downtown —
200 San Sebastian View and 301 San Marco Ave.
- — November 18: 1 to 11 p.m.
- — November 24-25: 1 to 11 p.m.
- — Every Saturday in December: 1 to 11 p.m.
- TROLLEY TOURS: Holly Jolly Trolley and Big Red Christmas Train
Dressing Downton
Oct. 4-Jan. 7: The Dressing Downton exhibit opens Oct. 4 in Lightner Museum’s Grand Ballroom Gallery, 75 King St., downtown St. Augustine. **The gift shop features holiday items and Christmas ornaments! Dressing Downton, Changing Fashion for Changing Times is an exquisite exhibition of 36 costumes and accessories paired to perfection in engaging vignettes, immersed amongst Otto Lightner’s collection of turn of the century fine art and furniture. Many museum pieces in storage and others presently being restored will be on view for the first time as a part of the exhibition, masterfully displayed in the Museum’s Grand Ballroom Gallery. Admission is $19.99 for adults, $14.99 for military/students/seniors, $9.99 ages 12-17, and free for ages 11 and younger. Go to www.lightnermuseum.org/dressing-downton
Coney Island Christmas
Nov. 30-Dec. 23: Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies weaves together nostalgia, music and merriment in this new seasonal classic. A holiday show for people of all ages and all faiths, Coney Island Christmas, introduces us to Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who (much to her immigrant parents’ exasperation) is cast as Jesus in the school’s Christmas pageant. As Shirley, now much older, recounts the memorable story to her great-granddaughter, the play captures a timeless and universal tale of what it means to be an American during the holidays. Coney Island Christmas is on stage November 30-December 23 at Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Ave., in uptown St. Augustine with FREE parking. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. TICKETS: Call 904-825-1164 or choose your seats at limelight-theatre.org
The Light of Christmas
Dec. 1-3, Dec. 8-10, and Dec. 15-25: The annual FREE drive-through Christmas light display called The Light of Christmas is on view at Turning Point at Calvary, 3500 State Road 16, in St. Augustine. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 1-3, Dec. 8-10, and Dec. 15-25. The Light of Christmas features more than a half million lights that create scenes and giant Christmas trees that dance to music. Guests will be asked to turn to a specific radio station to hear the holiday music as they travel the route of The Light of Christmas. Admission is FREE. For more Information, call 904-829-9795 or go to www.tpcalvary.com
Kids pet a camel, one of many animals featured in A Bethlehem Visit at Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church. The live nativity always includes animals in its cast. Maggie.FitzRoy@jacksonville.com
A Bethlehem Visit
Dec. 8-9: Take a walk through the town of Bethlehem and see how it might have looked on the night of Jesus’ birth. Seek out the lowly manger and the Christ Child. Hours are 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 10. at Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church, 4510 Palm Valley Road, Ponte Vedra Beach. A cast of more than 200 people, plus live animals, portray the residents, merchants and craftsmen. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Admission is FREE. Parking is $5 per vehicle at the PGA Tour lot off County Road 210, with FREE shuttles. The church is located 2.5 miles west of A1A. Call 904-285-8225 or go to www.pvpc.com
Regatta of Lights
Dec. 9: St. Augustine’s annual Regatta of Lights begins at 6 p.m. Dec. 9 on Matanzas Bay, sponsored by the St. Augustine Yacht Club. View boats decorated in lights and holiday decor, all parading along the bayfront near the Bridge of Lions. Arrive early to find parking and a spot to watch the parade. Spectators can view the event for FREE. Call 904-824-9725 or go to www.staugustineyachtclub.com
St. Augustine Historic Inns Coastal Christmas Tour
Dec. 9-13: The 24th Annual St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Holiday Tour is features five days of festive hospitality, history, and holiday cheer. See more than 20 B&Bs and 10 bonus properties in St. Augustine’s many historic districts, all decorated for the holidays. This celebrated event has become a tradition in St. Augustine, showcasing the ancient city’s array of romantic inns decked out for the season and taste their restaurant partners samples. For tickets, go to www.staugustinebandbtour.com
Voices of Christmas Past Concert
Dec. 9: The St. Augustine Music Festival presents Voices of Christmas Past, a concert featuring Stetson Baroque and Webb Wiggins on Harpsichord at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, 37 Lovett St., St. Augustine. Admission is FREE.
Makers Fest
Dec. 10: The 2nd Annual St. Augustine Makers Fest™ will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 at the Mark Lance National Guard Armory, 190 San Marco Ave. More than 25 local artisans will be showcasing their amazing crafts. Our Makers Stations provide making opportunities for Makers of all ages. A new addition, in-depth workshops will hosted by local artisans in wreath making, mixed media art, watercolor painting and others. Burkhardt Sales and Service will bring Ancient City Brewing to the beer garden. Foodies will be excited to see the range of culinary offerings this year by Streaming the Bullet, Jimmy’s Pizza, Growers Alliance and many more. Proceeds from St. Augustine Makers Fest ™ benefit the St. Augustine Public Montessori School, a 501c3 non-profit. See the Facebook event here
Amahl & The Night Visitors by First Coast Opera & Emma Concert Association
Dec. 13: EMMA Concert Association and First Coast Opera presents Amahl & The Night Visitors at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 13 in Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., downtown St. Augustine. First Coast Operawill feature a quartet in Dickens’ era costumes singing carols in the Lewis Auditorium lobby, both before the performance to welcome audience and after the performance. Amahl & The Night Visitors features a story near Bethlehem in the first century, just after the birth of Christ. Amahl, a disabled boy who can walk only with a crutch, has a problem with telling tall tales. Tickets are available at emmaconcerts.com
A Seussified Christmas Carol
Dec. 15-17: A Seussified Christmas Carol will be performed by the Limelight Theatre Teen Club at Limelight Theatre. A whimsical reinvention of Dickens’ most beloved Christmas story in wacky rhymed couplets. With zoot fruited juices and binka bird geese, from Bed-Headed Fred to Timmy Loo Hoo, this tale of glorious holiday cheer is similar to something Dr. Seuss might have come up with — if he ever had his way with the story! Show times are 5 p.m. Dec. 15-16; and 11 a.m. Dec. 17. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for children. Tickets are available at limelight-theatre.org or 904-825-1164.
The Santaland Diaries
Dec. 15-16: Apex Theatre presents “The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris” with musical guest Duffy Bishop at 8 p.m. Dec. 15-16 in the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A North, Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are $20. NPR favorite David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries” is a hysterical retelling of one man’s experiences working as an elf at Macy’s Santaland. The Seattle Times calls the show’s subject material “quite possibly the funniest thirty-one pages published in the last quarter century.” “The Santaland Diaries” contains mature content and language. Go to pvconcerthall.com
Los Posadas Procession
Dec. 16: Join Florida Living History for a walk through more than 400 years of history and culture as this group recreates an ancient Spanish tradition, the “Las Posadas” procession, beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at the City Gates and then proceeding down Saint George Street in downtown St. Augustine. Meet at the St. Augustine City Gates, end of Saint George Street. FREE to the public.
The party scene of the St. Augustine Ballet’s Nutcracker. Photo by Julie Abella Photography
St. Augustine Nutcracker
Dec. 16-17: St. Augustine Ballet’s The Nutcracker is a family friendly holiday classic production. The cast is comprised of student and professional dancers of all ages. Performances are at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 16-17 at Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., downtown St. Augustine Tickets are $25 and $30, available at saintaugustineballet.com
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Dec. 16-17: Apex Theatre presents “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” at 1 p.m. Dec. 16-17 in the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A North, Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are $15. The family-friendly production, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” is based on Barbara Robinson’s classic holiday story about a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant. The couple is faced with casting the Herdman kids — probably the most inventively awful kids in history. This is a one-hour performance for audiences of all ages. Go to pvconcerthall.com
St. Augustine Community Chorus
Dec. 16-17: The St. Augustine Community Chorus, under the direction of Mike Sanflippo, will open the 2017-2018 concert season with two December performances of From Prophecy to Peace to be presented at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 16; and 2 p.m. Sunday, December 17 in Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, 38 Cathedral Place, downtown St. Augustine. The chorus will be joined by the St. Augustine Youth Chorus, directed by Kerry Fradley. The program will again feature excerpts from Handel’s Messiah, along with the chamber orchestra, and will include the crowd favorite sing along of the “Hallelujah Chorus” as well as several well-known Christmas carols. Tickets are $20 for adults in advance and $25 at the door, $5 for students and military with I.D. Advanced tickets can be purchased at : Carter’s Jewelry, Flowers by Shirley, Herbie Wiles Insurance, Southern Horticulture, Sterry Piano, and at www.staugustinecommunitychorus.org
Nutcracker Ballet by St. Augustine Dance Conservatory
Dec. 16-17: The timeless tale of the Nutcracker will be performed by local dancers from The Perla Ballet and the St. Augustine Dance Conservatory. Performances are 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16; and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17 at Pedro Menendez High School, 600 State Road 206, St. Augustine. For tickets, go to dancesadc.com
It’s A Wonderful Life
Dec. 21-23: Apex Theatre presents the Christmas classic “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” at 8 p.m. Dec. 21-22, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Dec. 23 in the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A North, Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are $25. This beloved American holiday classic will come to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealist George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful night. Go to pvconcerthall.com
