ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Live folk music in the town square kicks off St. Augustine's birthday weekend after countless hours of preparation.
America's oldest city is ready to celebrate its 450th birthday.
Local businesses are working hard to attract residents and tourists alike. Paula Chryssaidis, the owner of Athena's Restaurant, said she's looking forward to the boom in business but just wants people to enjoy the festivities.
"We're hopeful everyone will come and see this beautiful city," Chryssaidis said.
A few blocks away, Carmelo's Pizzeria has extra food in stock for the potential boost in customers. Pizza maker Del Dulin said they're being cautiously optimistic.
"We're hoping for a boost in business -- a lot of the local people said they're staying far from downtown and a lot of our business is local," Dulin said.
Carmello's is learning from another high-profile event here that didn't live up to expectations: the Mumford and Sons concert in 2013.
"It was a bust for us, we didn't get any business for them," Dulin said.
As for the local bed and breakfasts, some vacancy signs were visible around the city, but Lynn Bennett, who owns Casa de Solana bed and breakfast, said that's not the case for her.
"We've been booked for almost a year," Bennett said. "They started booking around this time last year in September, and it's been steady – we've not had any cancellations."
Several business owners said they're concerned with missing sales opportunities with all the road closures in St. Augustine Square.
WJAX
