St. Augustine Nights of Lights 2026–2027: Dates, Parking, Shuttles, Street Closures, and Things to Do

Dates, final night, and opening night

St. Johns County and the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches visitor bureau both list every evening from November 21, 2026 through January 18, 2027. The county says the lights come on at dusk and stay on into the early morning, with more than 3 million white lights, and that no ticket is required to view them. The visitor bureau calls this the 33rd year. The display is coordinated white lights on historic buildings, trees, and the waterfront. It is not one gated set of figures.

The city’s October 30, 2026 news release sets the opening. The lighting ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at the gazebo in the Plaza de la Constitución. The same release says the season continues through Monday, January 18, 2027. That Monday is the confirmed final night. January 31 is a date from older write-ups. It is not this season’s ending.

The city’s Nights of Lights FAQ still says the lights are typically on from dusk until 2 a.m., and it still describes the season as mid-November until mid-January. Use the news release for the start and the final night. A 2 a.m. illumination line is not a promise that shops, restaurants, or the free shuttle stay available that late. On the dates it runs, the free shuttle ends at 11 p.m.

Street closures: opening night only, until the police post more

Street-closure update. Checked November 7, 2026 against the October 30, 2026 city news release. This section is not a season-long closure map.

For Saturday, November 21, the city posted two restrictions:

• Cathedral Place, between Avenida Menendez and Cordova Street: no parking all day, and closed to vehicles from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• King Street, between Cordova Street and Avenida Menendez: no parking all day on the north side only. That is not a full closure of King Street.

The same release says road closures and restricted parking can change at any time at the discretion of the St. Augustine Police Department. Follow the signs and the officers on the street that night.

Bayfront construction during the season

Construction update. Checked November 7, 2026 against the city’s June 12, 2026 seawall notice. A later news story from outside the city is not mixed into this paragraph.

The city’s June 12, 2026 notice says Florida Department of Transportation seawall work on State Road A1A, from the Bridge of Lions to Charlotte Street, was scheduled to begin the week of June 15, 2026. The work includes seawall replacement, reconstruction of the bayfront promenade, replacement of the post-and-chain barrier with a solid 3.5-foot coquina concrete wall, work on the timber pergolas, and removal of the event platform. Completion is anticipated in fall 2027, weather permitting. Visitors should expect temporary pedestrian-access impacts on portions of the project. The notice does not say the entire bayfront is closed.

The same notice says no lane closures from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Use the signed crossings. Do not climb a barrier to recover an older walking path. The city points drivers to FL511 for traffic alerts. A photograph of the old seawall is not a map of the walk that is available this winter.

Free park-and-ride: the date list, not “every night”

Transportation update. Shuttle dates checked November 7, 2026 on the city shuttle page. The lights run on nights when this shuttle does not.

The city offers free parking at three lots and a free ride to the Visitor Information Center on the dates below. Ordinary hours are 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. On Saturday, December 5, because of the Christmas Parade, shuttles run from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. December 25 is not on the list.

The city’s note says the list covers Light-Up Night, Thanksgiving weekend Friday and Saturday, every Friday, Saturday, and most Sundays in December, and the Christmas week through New Year’s Day. A Sunday that is missing from the list is not a shuttle day. November 29 and December 6 are examples. Service on this calendar ends Saturday, January 2, 2027. It does not continue through the final light night on January 18.

Where the main shuttle parks and stops

• St. Johns County Health Department, 200 San Sebastian View.
• Broudy’s Lot, corner of U.S. 1 and West King Street, 198 W. King Street.
• San Marco Lot, 301 San Marco Avenue.
• Downtown drop-off and pickup: the Visitor Information Center, 10 S. Castillo Drive. The October 27, 2026 park-and-ride release says passengers use the north drive-through lane at the trolley entrance.

The shuttle page says to park once, ride in, explore on foot, and return before service ends. An app note from the visitor bureau describes a free Nights of Lights app for November 21, 2026 through January 18, 2027, with shuttle lots, maps, restaurants, restrooms, and live cameras of the historic downtown. The city shuttle page links the download at staug.link/d/lights. This page does not invent a restroom count from last season’s operations sheet.

Anastasia Island lots are opening night only

On November 21 only, a separate island shuttle runs 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. from Anastasia Baptist Church, 1650 A1A South, and R.B. Hunt Elementary, 125 Magnolia Drive. Drop-off and pickup are near the east end of the Bridge of Lions, at the corner of Gerado Street and Flagler Boulevard in North Davis Shores. The October 27 release says Historic Tours of America provides that island service. It is not the same ride as the three main lots, and it is not a season-long island park-and-ride.

Wheelchairs, strollers, and animals on the free shuttle

The shuttle page says the fleet is ADA compliant, and that not every shuttle has a wheelchair lift or ramp. During Nights of Lights a rider may wait while an accessible shuttle is sent. Only service animals as defined by the ADA may ride. Pets and emotional-support animals are not allowed. The city’s FAQ says strollers are allowed if they fold. That same FAQ still describes an older shuttle calendar, so treat the fold rule as something to confirm in the app on the day of the visit. A compact stroller is the practical setup on a crowded night. Ask a private tour operator whether a stroller must be folded, and ask about wheelchair boarding and how much notice that operator wants. The free shuttle’s rules are not the tour company’s rules.

STAR is a different bus, with a later end date

The November 3, 2026 city release changes the St. Augustine STAR Circulator for the season. Downtown nighttime STAR ends at 3:00 p.m. daily from Saturday, November 21 through Monday, January 18, 2027. Beginning Sunday, November 22, the island route continues at night through January 18: Sunday through Thursday until 9:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 11:00 p.m., except Stop #17 at Blackfly Restaurant. Island stops deliver riders to the east side of the Bridge of Lions, south of Anastasia Boulevard, at 107 Anastasia Boulevard. Regular STAR hours resume Tuesday, January 19, 2027.

The city recommends that island service for Anastasia Island and St. Augustine Beach residents, for guests at nearby beach hotels, and for people within walking distance of the stops. Inquiries about STAR operations: 904-795-7827. That line is for the circulator. It is not a ticket desk for a private tour.

Parking: park once, and do not trust last winter’s permit map

On a date in the shuttle list, the three perimeter lots are the city’s free parking plan. On a night with no shuttle, those lots are not a substitute bus. Driving a loop through the historic district is not the same thing as a reserved sightseeing tour.

The city’s Nights of Lights FAQ distinguishes ordinary garage charges from a higher charge on shuttle days, and it says a valid handicap placard is honored at the Historic Downtown Parking Facility while space remains. That placard does not create permission to park on a street the police have closed. The same FAQ’s shuttle calendar does not match the current shuttle page, and this check did not find a 2026–27 rate sheet that agrees with every older garage figure still circulating. This page does not print a garage price. Read the charge at the entrance, or in the app, before driving in. The facility sits next to the Visitor Information Center.

A vacant curb can still be permit-only. The 2025–26 operations page described temporary residential permits for the Flagler Model Land, Abbott Tract, and Uptown neighborhoods, and it told readers that material was from last season. A screenshot of last winter is not permission to park there this winter. Confirm the current residential-permit page before using a neighborhood space. Metered street spaces, when they are available, are a separate product from the garage and from the free shuttle lots. Do not assume an evening garage rate from a previous season still applies after 5 p.m.

A photo of the parking row and the lot sign makes the walk back easier. That is a practical habit. It is not a city instruction.

City Hall restrooms

The October 20, 2026 city notice closes the public restrooms in the City Hall courtyard at 75 King Street beginning Monday, November 2, 2026. The project is expected to take about 19 weeks, with completion anticipated in March 2027. During construction, signs direct daytime visitors to alternate restrooms near Lobby C. During City Commission meetings, the notice directs attendees to restrooms through Lobby D. The notice does not say the Lobby C restrooms stay available late at night. Use the app’s restroom layer, and do not count on the courtyard rooms.

Paid tours: read the unit, then the checkout

Tour-price update. Figures below were on the operator page or the visitor-bureau listing opened November 7, 2026. Taxes, peak-night changes, and a later checkout can differ. This Is Florida does not sell these tickets.

Book one tour. Confirm where it actually leaves. Then choose parking that matches that place. The free downtown shuttle delivers passengers to the Visitor Information Center. It does not deliver passengers to every private operator.

A tourism calendar can still show an older way of charging for the Red Train, including a per-row price and a different end date. Ripley’s own page, opened November 7, sells by the seat at $24.99. Use the operator checkout. Private tours set their own pet rules. The free shuttle’s service-animal rule does not transfer to a train, a trolley, or a boat. The visitor bureau’s trolley directory describes Old Town Trolley Tours as a Certified Autism Center. Ask that operator about the vehicle you are boarding.

A daytime visit to Castillo de San Marcos is a separate ticket and a separate clock from the free outdoor lights. This page does not print fort hours.

Christmas Parade and the Holiday Regatta of Lights

The Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 5, 2026, 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., and the listing says it is free. It starts at the Mission Nombre de Dios off San Marco Avenue and continues through downtown streets, with floats, bands, cars, horses, and Santa. The free shuttle starts at 8:00 a.m. that day. Arrive for the parade clock, not for the usual 1:00 p.m. shuttle start.

The Holiday Regatta of Lights is Saturday, December 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and spectator viewing is free. The visitor-bureau listing says lighted boats travel Matanzas Bay between the Bridge of Lions and Castillo de San Marcos. The Visit St. Augustine listing says the boats meet near the Vilano Beach Pier, travel south to the Bridge of Lions, and turn back toward Vilano, and that bayfront viewing is limited because of construction on the bayfront and Castillo seawalls. Those two route descriptions do not match. Use the yacht club’s current note and the signed viewing spots that night. Standing on a closed construction path is not a viewing plan. A boat ticket is a different way to see the same parade.

How to spend the evening

Park once. Walk a shorter stretch of the plaza and the nearby lit streets, instead of trying to cover every block before a reservation. Leave generous time between dinner and check-in for a tour or a hotel. A restaurant, a trolley row, and a garage exit are three appointments. They fail when they are stacked on top of each other.

If the boat leaves outside downtown, decide before the drive whether the plaza walk comes before the cruise or after it, and how the group will move between the two places. Yacht Club Drive is not a stop on the free downtown shuttle. The municipal marina on Avenida Menendez is closer to the bayfront walk, and it is still not a promise that the shuttle drops passengers at the gangway.

Many weekdays have no park-and-ride. The published shuttle dates are the busier transportation days. A weekday without a shuttle is not a promise of empty sidewalks. Christmas Day is inside the light season and outside the shuttle calendar. Confirm the restaurant, the attraction, and the tour on their own pages for December 25.

For a place to stay, compare location against the shuttle lot or the tour dock, not only against a downtown photo. Hotel pages on this site are listed at Florida hotels. This Is Florida does not book the room. Other yearly events are on the annual events page and the events board. The St. Augustine city page is a separate guide.

What the visit costs

There is no single Nights of Lights admission price. The public display is free. The extras are optional. Budget four piles separately: transportation and parking, food, paid tours, and lodging. A free walk on a shuttle night is a different trip from a weekend hotel stay with dinner and a private-row trolley booking.

Compare totals in the unit each seller uses. The trolley example above charges by the row. Ripley’s charges by the person. A garage charges by the vehicle entry. A row for four, four train seats, and one garage entry are not the same kind of number, and they should not be added as if they were. Read the checkout for taxes and for any peak-evening change. This page leaves the city garage dollar amount off on purpose, because the FAQ and older posts do not all describe this season.

Common questions

Is Nights of Lights free?

Yes. Viewing the public displays is free. Parking, tours, meals, attractions, and accommodations can cost extra.

Are the lights on only during weekends?

No. They illuminate the city every evening during the published season, November 21, 2026 through January 18, 2027. Some transportation and special activities operate only on selected dates.

Can I drive through and see everything?

That is not the recommended approach. The city’s free-shuttle page tells visitors to park once, ride in, and explore on foot. Driving around is not the same as a reserved sightseeing tour, and it can leave a driver watching traffic instead of the display.

Will the free shuttle run in mid-January?

The announced seasonal park-and-ride ends January 2, 2027. The separate modified STAR island service continues through January 18, with its own route and hours. The lights continue through January 18 as well.

Can I see the lights on Christmas Day?

Christmas falls within the nightly display season, but the city’s seasonal park-and-ride does not operate December 25. Confirm individual restaurant, attraction, and tour hours separately.

Is January 31 the final night?

Not this season. The confirmed final night is Monday, January 18, 2027. Older pages still say the festival runs through January 31.

The planning rule

The lights, the shuttle, the parking garage, and the tour each have their own schedule. Match those pieces before leaving home. Then park once, move at a comfortable pace, and leave room to enjoy St. Augustine rather than spending the evening searching for somewhere to put the car.

Sources to recheck before you travel

Dates, street rules, construction access, shuttle days, and ticket prices change on different schedules. The city, the county, the visitor bureau, and each operator control their own pages. This Is Florida does not. Do not roll last season’s dates forward when a page still says 2025–26.

Related on this site: St. Augustine, annual events, events, hotels, beaches.