The city of St. Augustine presents a new proposal with its festival of lights: Night of Lights or Night of Lights
When you think of the end of the year holidays, the images that come to mind are usually related to a white dream, with a lot of snow. The city of St. Augustine presents another proposal with its festival of lights: Night of Lights or Noche de Luces which has more than 3 million white lights that shine from the sidewalks to the roofs, on the Bridge of Lions and travel approximately 144 city blocks in the historic district of St. Augustine.
St. Augustine kicks off the celebrations on November 19 when this light show kicks off the holiday season. During the Night of Lights, already in its Twenty-Ninth edition, the lights will shine every night until January 31, 2023. Listed as one of the best light displays in the world according to CNN and National Geographic, it is one of the many reasons why visit this destination this Christmas.
Once the lights are on, the celebrations continue without stopping. That same November 19, the Puerto Rican parade and Beer nights are celebrated, a celebration that continues until January 31, as well as the Night of Luminaries, Luminaries of the Lighthouse, Christmas Parade, or you can visit one of the galleries or museums located in the historic area of St. Augustine.
Thanksgiving, which was celebrated in St. Augustine on September 8, 1565, 56 years before the famous Plymouth Plantations (Massachusetts), also falls during these festive dates. Visitors to what is today the Mission of the Name of God will be on the same ground with Pedro Menéndez and 800 Spaniards dined with the natives of this area, the Timucuan in what was the village of Seloy. After visiting this sacred site you can enjoy a family dinner in one of the many restaurants in St. Augustine, several offering international cuisine in the hands of Latino chefs who have made this city their home.
On December 10, the Holiday Lights Regatta arrives in St. Augustine. This annual holiday tradition features boats decorated with displays of sparkling lights. The regatta will illuminate St. Augustine’s Matanzas Bay between the Bridge of Lions and the Castillo de San Marcos.
Starting on December 17, the popular Posadas and Christmas Nights are celebrated in commemoration of the trip that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in the Nombre De Dios Mission. The tour begins at 5 pm for Las Posadas, the Living Nativity Scene and Eucharistic Adoration. Eucharistic Adoration is not a show, people come and go during the time it is open,
And who can forget the beaches when visiting Florida. Ponte Vedra Beach celebrates the holiday season with the parade of boats decorated with bright lights on the Beach. This event takes place on December 3.
To end the year, there is no lack of possibilities in St. Augustine where you can enjoy a New Year’s Eve concert at The Oak, or Light Up the Night!, a fireworks display on St. Augustine Beach, or Well, the New Year’s Eve Gala at the Lightner Museum, an icon of the city, is now in its 75th anniversary.
Source: St. Augustine