ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. —
We are only 6 weeks away from Christmas and it’s that time of year again.
Despite COVID-19 the Nights of Lights in downtown St. Augustine will return for the 27th year, Nov. 14.
The city of St. Augustine said it won’t have their annual Light up Night celebration because it wants to cut down on crowds gathering in downtown.
Dave Chatterton, the general manager for Old Town Trolley Tours said Nights of Lights is a St. Augustine tradition that normally brings in thousands of people.
“St. Augustine is beautiful anyway at night and then you put these lights up in the city.. I mean there’s nowhere else like it,” Chatterton said.
Nights of Lights usually starts the week before Thanksgiving, but this year the St. Augustine City Commission voted to start it early to give people more time to view the event.
The city told Action News Jax that the biggest change this year will be no shuttle service.
“With social distancing and the CDC guidelines, it was just too much to try and think that we could effectively use our shuttle service and provide a quality service,” said Melissa Wissel, communication manager for the City of St. Augustine.
The parking garage will be open and the city is researching alternative parking options if needed.
Businesses in St. Augustine took a major hit with the pandemic, but Chatterton said with Nights of Lights, people are booking trolley tours, which is encouraging.
“I think people are ready for this," he said. "They need this. The Nights of Lights it’s such a joyous occasion for everybody. It’s become a family tradition for many people.”
Nights of Lights kicks off on Nov. 14 and will run through Jan. 31, 2021.
Reservations for trolley tours are required this year.
Cox Media Group
