With the holidays just around the corner, North Florida is getting ready to light up night. Here are a list of lighting ceremonies that will take place throughout the month of November.
St. Johns Holiday Spectacular
Celebrate the joy and magic of the holiday season at the 12th annual St. Johns Town Center Holiday Spectacular on Saturday, November 11. Holiday shoppers, families and visitors are invited to attend the action-packed day of free, family fun and musical performances!
The annual holiday celebration, sponsored by Toyota, OneBlood, PRI Productions, and The Lion King - Musical, kicks off at 2 p.m. Throughout the day, guests will enjoy festivities including oversized games, an interactive hot chocolate station, jugglers, caricature artists, letters to Santa, ornament decorating, a festive photo booth and a silent DJ experience. That’s not all! The holiday fun will continue with great giveaways, costume characters, holiday entertainment and more.
Main stage entertainment begins at 2 p.m. with dynamic holiday performances and a show-stopping finale by headliner, Parmalee. The Main Stage is located in the Town Green in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy on Midtown Parkway.
For Holiday Spectacular’s grand finale, Santa will lead the crowd in an official countdown to light the dazzling 32-foot tree and kick off an energetic fireworks finale at 8 p.m. Santa will then be available at the Santa House in the Phase III wing near Nordstrom to hear holiday wish lists.
Additionally, St. Johns Town Center retailers will offer holiday shopping opportunities, in-store promotions and specials throughout the weekend.
St. Augustine Night of Lights
The 24th Annual Nights of Lights dazzles the city as some three million lights adorn every corner of the historic district for two months.
This award-winning holiday lights display runs from November 18, 2017, to January 31, 2018, in historic St. Augustine. During Nights of Lights, businesses downtown stay open later, letting you dine in view of the lights and shop amongst the lit buildings. The trains and trolleys offer special seasonal tours that take you through the best areas of Nights of Lights, and there are also a variety of specialty tours -- everything from walking to horse-and-carriage tours, and even tours to see the lights from the water and from the air.
There are plenty of photo opportunities throughout the downtown area, from the dazzling lights along the bayfront, to the Christmas tree placed in the center of the Plaza de la Constitución with holiday gifts surrounding it. From dusk until dawn, the lights bring holiday cheer to vacationers and locals in St. Augustine.
Nights of Lights begins with Light Up! Night on Saturday, November 18, 2017. For more information and a full schedule of events, check out the profile page for Light Up! Night Lighting Ceremony.
30th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
The Jacksonville Landing and Sleiman Enterprises present the 30th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, November 25 at 6:00 p.m. in partnership with 96.1 WEJZ.
Kickoff the holiday season at The Jacksonville Landing the day after Thanksgiving. Bring your family and friends as The Landing lights the 56-foot-tall energy-efficient Christmas tree featuring over 78,000 L.E.D. lights and more than 150 ornaments.
The show will take place in the Landing’s Courtyard beginning at 6:00 p.m. featuring live musical entertainment, the 30th annual lighting of The Jacksonville Landing’s Christmas Tree and a fireworks display on the St. Johns River as the grand finale.
Featured artists include Jeff Congo, Ryan Crary, Southern Sass, Aaron Thomas, Ashton Taylor and Stephen Quinn, David Medvidofsky, Celia Guerrero, and Brittney Lawrence from The Voice Season 10. The host for the ceremony is Arthur Crofton from The Morning Show on 96.1 WEJZ with DJ Kevin Tos from Party Solution Entertainment. This year’s show will bring the Jacksonville community together while enjoying a night filled with holiday cheer, special guest appearances and lighting The Landing’s 56-foot-tall Christmas Tree.
