Curated event
Nights of Lights 2026–27 in St. Augustine: Light-Up Night, season dates and how to see it
St. Augustine's Nights of Lights opens with Light-Up! Night on Saturday, November 21, 2026 and runs every evening until Monday, January 18, 2027. Millions of white lights cover the historic district for two months, the streets are free to walk, and the weekends between Thanksgiving and New Year fill the city's inns.
- Dates: November 21, 2026 – January 18, 2027
- Venue: Historic district of St. Augustine, St. Augustine
- Organised by: City of St. Augustine
- Admission: Free to attend
- Checked: September 11, 2026
See it on foot on a weeknight in early December, when the lights are on and the crowds are not. Light-Up! Night and the weekends before Christmas are the busiest evenings of the year; book the room first and walk from it.
Schedule
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Saturday, November 21, 2026 | Light-Up! Night, the season's opening ceremony |
| Monday, January 18, 2027 | Final night of the season |
Dates and hours come from the organisers' announcements and can change. Check them once more before setting out.
Official tickets and registration · The lights are free to see on foot; trolley and boat tours sell their own tickets.
The event
Nights of Lights is the city's holiday illumination: the historic district, the plaza and the bayfront strung with white lights from the night they are switched on until mid-January. The City Commission set the 2026–27 season by resolution: Light-Up! Night on Saturday, November 21, 2026, and the last day on Monday, January 18, 2027.
The lights themselves cost nothing to see. The commercial layer around them, trolley and train tours, boat cruises and the restaurants, is where the evening's money goes.
When to go
Light-Up! Night and the weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the crowded evenings, with slow traffic on the bridges and full inns. Weeknights in early December, and the first two weeks of January, give the same lights with room to walk.
St. Augustine is a walking city; a base inside or beside the historic district removes the parking problem entirely.
Good to know
- Inns inside the historic district sell out for December weekends months ahead.
- Trolley and train tours run special lights routes in the evening; book them for peak nights.
- Confirm any Light-Up! Night programme details on the city's site in November.
Where to stay for Nights of Lights
The historic district is the base that makes the evening a walk. This guide compares Florida's Atlantic coast towns and opens live availability.
- Historic Atlantic FloridaSt. Augustine within the Atlantic-coast plan.
- Florida's Atlantic coast vs the Gulf vs the KeysThe statewide choice of where to stay, with live stays for your dates.
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The lights are free on foot; compare a trolley, train or boat lights tour here only if walking the district is not the plan.
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Sources and transparency:City of St. Augustine: City establishes new dates for Nights of Lights (2026–27 season) (checked 2026-09-11)Not a paid listing.Editorial policyFull agenda