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In this guide
More than three million white lights go up downtown every year, all over the rooftops, the live oaks and the Bridge of Lions. It’s the prettiest this town ever looks, and you don’t need a ticket to see it. You do need a plan, because it’s also the most crowded this town ever gets.
I grew up here, and more than a few times, I’ve been stuck in line for much longer than I actually got to enjoy the lights. That’s why I’d take a quiet Tuesday and a good dinner over a Saturday night in traffic every time, and why I’d encourage you to stick to this plan: which nights I’d pick, where I’d leave the car, and what I’d actually pay for.
The quick rundown
- Dates: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026 through Monday, Jan. 18, 2027. The lights are on every night.
- Hours: They come on at 5:30pm and stay on past 2am.
- Cost: Seeing the lights is free. Tours cost extra.
- Best nights: Weeknights, especially ones without a free shuttle running. Those are the nights the city isn’t expecting a crush.
- Parking: Don’t plan on driving through downtown. It isn’t a driving event.
Pick your night first
The night you pick matters more than anything else here. The city runs free park-and-ride shuttles on the nights it expects the biggest crowds, so the shuttle schedule is basically a list of nights to avoid.
The busiest dates for 2026–27:
- November: 21, 27, 28
- December: 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18–24, 26–31
- January: 1, 2
That still leaves plenty of good nights. Try a Monday through Thursday in the first half of December, or anytime after the first weekend in January. Same lights, more elbow room, and hotels are often cheaper midweek.
If you want the big nights anyway
- Light-Up! Night, Saturday, Nov. 21. Live entertainment starts at 4pm in the Plaza de la Constitución, and the lights are switched on around 6:30pm. Go once if you’re curious, but don’t expect a quiet night.
- Christmas Parade, Saturday, Dec. 5, at 9am. Shuttles start at 8am that day.
- Regatta of Lights, Saturday, Dec. 12, at 6pm. Decorated boats on the water. Bayfront viewing space is limited this year because of construction, so the visitors bureau suggests the Vilano Fishing Pier or the bridge.
Where to park
As beautiful as the lights are, the bottlenecks in certain areas can be just as frustrating. Don’t be like me, stuck in traffic and frustrated, seeing the lights from my car instead of walking under them. Some nights it’s felt like a never-ending carousel: Potter’s Wax Museum on my right, then the Bridge of Lions, then Potter’s again.
Parking is what ruins most people’s night, so figure it out before you leave the hotel.
On shuttle days: use the free park-and-ride
Park free at one of these lots and ride to the Visitor Information Center at 10 S. Castillo Drive:
- St. Johns County Health Department, 200 San Sebastian View
- Broudy’s Lot, 198 West King St.
- San Marco Lot, 301 San Marco Ave.
Shuttles usually run 1pm to 11pm. On Light-Up! Night, the visitors bureau lists them from 4pm to 11pm, and on Dec. 5 they start at 8am. Confirm the schedule on the city’s shuttle page or in the Nights of Lights app before you go, since dates can change.
The downtown garage
The Historic Downtown Parking Facility is beside the Visitor Information Center. Expect $20 for the day when shuttles aren’t running, or if you enter before 1pm on a shuttle day. Enter at or after 1pm on a shuttle day and it’s $40. If you’re going on a quiet weeknight, this is the easy choice.
Private lots
Churches, Flagler College and other private lots open up for the season, usually at $20 to $40 depending on the lot, day and time. Only use one that’s clearly welcoming visitors, because unauthorized cars can be towed.
Don’t get caught by these
- Neighborhood streets. Several neighborhoods near downtown are resident-only during the festival, and the fine is $100. Read the signs.
- Hotel lots. Don’t leave your car at a hotel unless you’re staying there.
- Coming from the beach? The free STAR Beach Shuttle loops Anastasia Island starting at 5pm, between the Bridge of Lions and 901 A1A Beach Blvd. It doesn’t run on New Year’s Eve.
See it on foot first
The best views are free. Give yourself about an hour for this loop, and don’t rush it:
- Start at the Plaza de la Constitución. This is the heart of it, with lights through the live oaks, the gazebo and the big Christmas tree. Local tradition says one red light is hidden among the white ones, so see if you can find it.
- Walk to the bayfront. Lights line the seawall and the palms, with the water beside you.
- Step onto the Bridge of Lions. The sidewalk gives you the best free view in town, looking back at the bayfront, the Plaza trees and the lit buildings.
- Head up King Street. The Lightner Museum and Flagler College are both lit up, and they’re worth the short walk.
- Finish on Aviles or St. George Street. Both are good places to wander, and Aviles is often the calmer of the two.
For photos, shoot around sunset, while there’s still some color in the sky. Rest your phone or camera on something solid once it gets dark.
If you’d rather see it from the car
If you’re more patient than I am and don’t want to deal with parking, put the windows down and throw on some Christmas music, like my family used to do. The part you don’t want to miss is the loop around the Plaza: west on Cathedral Place, left on Cordova Street, then left on King Street back to the bayfront.
If you’re staying on Anastasia Island, come over the Bridge of Lions and go straight onto Cathedral Place. After the loop, turn left on Avenida Menendez, go around the Castillo on Castillo Drive, and head up San Marco Avenue. If you’re coming from anywhere else, take San Marco Avenue south, follow Castillo Drive around the Castillo, and take Avenida Menendez along the bayfront. Turn right on Cathedral Place, do the loop, and you’ll end up back at the bridge.
Go on a weeknight, and be ready to change your route. These were the restrictions last season, and they may change:
- Coming off the Bridge of Lions: Right turn only onto Avenida Menendez, Friday through Sunday, 6pm to 10pm, and possibly at other peak times. You can’t go straight onto Cathedral Place when that’s in effect, so if you’re coming from the island, you’ll miss the Plaza loop.
- Avenida Menendez parking: Street parking was removed as needed where the pedestrian barricades went up, so don’t count on stopping there.
- Hypolita Street: Closed 6pm to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Treasury Street: Closed through the end of the event.
- Cordova Street, between Orange and Castillo: Closed whenever the parking garage is closed.
- Downtown cross streets: Barricades blocked vehicles at some of them.
- Flagler Model Land and North City: Turns in from US 1 were restricted.
The city hasn’t posted its 2026-27 details yet, so check the Nights of Lights app before you go.
Tours worth paying for
You don’t need a tour, but they’re a nice break if you’ve got tired kids or tired feet. Book ahead for weekends.
Trolley or train
This is what a lot of families do. Old Town Trolley and Ripley’s Red Trains both run holiday tours from Nov. 22 through Jan. 18, and both include special glasses that turn the lights into shapes. Old Town Trolley sells tickets by the row, which seats up to four, so it works best for a family or a group. Reservations are required, and rows start at $72.99. Book the Old Town Trolley Nights of Lights tour. Ripley’s doesn’t run on Christmas Day.
By horse-drawn carriage
This is the romantic one, and it’s the one people book for anniversaries and proposals. Carriages line up along the bayfront between the Bridge of Lions and the Castillo, and the ride is private, so it’s just your group. Last season, Country Carriages charged $175 for about 30 minutes with up to four people. Check this year’s price, call (904) 669-8619 to confirm which nights they’re running, and book ahead for a weekend. Bring a blanket, because it gets cold once you’re sitting still.
On the water
If you hate crowds, do this one. Nobody can stand in front of you on the water. Several operators run evening cruises, including Florida Water Tours, Scenic Cruises and the schooner Freedom. Some tours are BYOB, and they tend to suit adults, though families are welcome. It’s colder on the water than on land, so bring an extra layer.
A small private tour
St. Augustine Land and Sea Tours runs private electric-car tours of 30 to 45 minutes for up to seven people. Gold Tours uses a small bus that fits on narrow streets the bigger tours can’t reach. Either one works well if someone in your group can’t walk far.
Where to eat and warm up
Book dinner ahead on a busy night, or you’ll end up eating wherever has a table. I’d eat early, before the streets fill up.
- Columbia Restaurant, 98 St. George St. A long-time favorite for Spanish and Cuban food, and you’re already in the middle of the lights when you walk out. Reserve ahead.
- Catch 27. Warm, intimate, and built around Florida seafood. Book ahead on weekends.
- Collage. A small, intimate room for a special dinner.
- Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille. Close to the Plaza, with a courtyard that’s lit year-round.
- Tini Martini Bar at the Casablanca Inn. A bayfront spot for a holiday martini, with outdoor heaters.
- Kookaburra. For a hot chocolate to carry around while you walk.
Where to stay
Stay within walking distance if you can. You park once and forget about it, and you can head out late after the crowds go home.
Where I’d send a friend: St. Francis Inn, 279 St. George St. It’s a historic bed and breakfast about a 10-minute walk from the Plaza, with a nice little courtyard and a private bar near the pool. Full disclosure: the owner is a family friend, and I may earn a commission if you book through the rate link below. I wasn’t paid to include it.
Check rates and availability Paid link
Downtown rooms go early for this season, especially on weekends, so book as soon as you’ve picked your dates. Mid-week is often cheaper.
Paid link: bookings through this map earn a commission.
What to bring
- A warm layer. Nights are often around 65°F, and it can feel cooler by the water.
- Comfortable shoes. Expect brick and uneven sidewalks.
- A restroom plan. Downtown has only six public restrooms, and most aren’t open all night. The one at the Municipal Marina is open 24/7 except during cleaning, and the app shows the extra portable restrooms added on the busiest days.
- The Nights of Lights app. It has parking, shuttle schedules and maps in one place.
Don’t bother with these
- Driving downtown to see the lights from your car. You’ll spend the evening looking at brake lights.
- Light-Up! Night, if you hate crowds. Come any other night and you’ll see the same lights with more room to enjoy them.
- Circling for a street spot. Decide on the garage or the shuttle before you arrive.
- The week between Christmas and New Year’s, if you have a choice. Shuttles run every day from Dec. 26 through Jan. 2, which tells you what to expect.
Staying for the whole weekend?
I put together a free 8-page guide with exactly how I’d spend two days here: where to park, where to eat, which beach to pick and what to skip. Get the free weekend guide.
Dates, prices and shuttle details were checked on Nov. 2, 2026, and they can change. Confirm with the City of St. Augustine or the Nights of Lights app before you go.