St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra host more than 40 festivals and special events throughout the year. Each spring and fall, St. Augustine hosts an annual art and crafts festival. A myriad of multicultural and local heritage events take place in the summer months. Ecotourism and educational events, including themed celebrations honoring historic dates, are presented throughout the year. Events such as the Menendez Birthday Celebration, Hastings Cabbage & Potato Festival and six professional fishing tournaments are always popular.
Highlighting the year's events is the annual Nights of Lights, a holiday celebration featuring millions of tiny white lights that outline the bay front and buildings of historic downtown St. Augustine, transforming the old City into a festive nighttime holiday wonderland. Nights of Lights is traditionally staged from Thanksgiving through the end of January. See the Night of Lights page for more information.