Nights of Lights Opens on a Downtown Still Under Construction. Here's What That Changes for Locals

In late March, FDOT spokesperson Jacob Pickering told Action News Jax the department wanted to "get that bridge back open for Nights of Lights." On October 21, a St. Johns Record roundup of FDOT closures said King Street from U.S. 1 to Malaga "remains closed to traffic through late 2026." FDOT's own project page lists expected completion as Spring 2027. Light-Up! Night is Saturday, November 21, about two weeks out, and none of these sources gives a reopening day.

The bridge is one of three projects running through the season. Seawall work on the bayfront is moving where people can watch the Regatta of Lights. The City Hall courtyard restrooms, next to where the Light-Up! program starts, closed November 2 and aren't expected back until March. Taken together, this year's Nights of Lights depends more on the edges of downtown than on its center. The parking lots off U.S. 1 and San Marco Avenue, the Anastasia Island shuttle stops, the Bridge of Lions and Vilano Beach Pier all matter more this season.

The west approach is the open question

The King Street Bridge over the San Sebastian River closed April 13 for "approximately seven months," according to the City of St. Augustine's notice. Seven months from April 13 lands around November 13, about a week before Light-Up! Night. Detour signs send drivers and pedestrians along U.S. 1 and Malaga Street to reach King Street, with a temporary signal at U.S. 1 and Malaga.

Seven months was already the shorter option. FDOT changed the job from a full replacement to a rehabilitation after community input and testing that found the bridge structurally sound. Pickering told Action News Jax that this cut the closure from a full year to seven months. J.B. Coxwell holds the $13.4 million contract. The finished bridge will have two 11-foot travel lanes, an 11-foot turn lane, a 10-foot-6-inch sidewalk on the north side and a 6-foot-6-inch sidewalk on the south side, plus new railings and decorative lighting.

For the holiday calendar, the open question is whether cars can cross by Light-Up! Night or only later in the season. Reopening the road and finishing the full project are separate milestones, which helps explain why "late 2026" and "Spring 2027" appear side by side. Until FDOT District 2 announces a date, the safest assumption for November evenings is that the U.S. 1 and Malaga detour stays in place. Real-time updates are on FL511.

The bayfront walk is the second squeeze

On the east side of downtown, the waterfront has its own construction. Visit St. Augustine's Regatta of Lights page says that in 2026, "due to the construction on the bayfront and Castillo sea walls, fewer people will be able to view the parade from the walk along the bayfront."

The Regatta, organized by the St. Augustine Yacht Club, runs Saturday, December 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Decorated boats gather near Vilano Beach Pier, head south to the Bridge of Lions and turn back toward Vilano. Because the bayfront walk can hold fewer people this year, Visit St. Augustine recommends three viewing spots for 2026: Vilano Beach Pier, the Bridge of Lions, or a boat. It also lists second-floor decks along the bayfront at Meehan's Irish Pub and Seafood House, River and Fort, Saint, Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille, and Casa Reina Taqueria & Tequila.

Vilano Beach Pier is where the boats line up, so viewers there see the parade at its start and again on the way back. For anyone north of downtown, the pier is a Regatta option this year that doesn't require parking in the historic district.

The courtyard restrooms are out for the whole season

The third project is small, but it sits in the middle of the Light-Up! program. The public restrooms in the City Hall courtyard at 75 King Street closed for renovation on Monday, November 2, and the city expects the work to be finished in March 2027. That covers every night of a season that runs from November 21, 2026, to January 18, 2027. The city's notice says signs will point to alternate restrooms near Lobby C, or near Lobby D during City Commission meetings.

On Light-Up! Night, the program starts right at that building. Showtime USA performs at City Hall and Parque de Menendez at 4 p.m. The All-Star Orchestra starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Plaza, and the lights come on at 6:30 p.m. ASL interpretation is at the gazebo from 5 to 7 p.m. If you're bringing kids or older guests for the full evening, plan restroom stops before you arrive.

Where the season's parking actually sits

With the King Street approach closed and the bayfront crowded, the free lots and shuttles carry more of the load. Visit St. Augustine's Nights of Lights page lists these for 2026–27 and says it doesn't have all the season's information yet. Routes and some schedules may still change.

The listed park-and-ride dates are November 21, 27 and 29; December 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, 18 through 24, and 26 through 30; and January 1 and 2. On December 5, Christmas Parade day, service starts at 8 a.m. instead of 1 p.m. Shuttles drop riders at the Visitor Information Center.

Two of the three regular lots, Broudy's and the Health Department, sit off U.S. 1, which is also the detour route around the bridge. The two Light-Up! Night lots are both on Anastasia Island. For opening night, island residents have lots close to home.

The garage at the Visitor Information Center has its own policy each year. Last season's rules came from a November 6, 2025 city notice: a $40 charge per entry while free shuttles ran, with St. Johns County registered-resident parking discounts honored. That notice applied only to 2025–26. As of late October, the city hadn't announced 2026–27 garage pricing or temporary neighborhood permit rules, so last year's numbers aren't this year's policy.

The season, in order

1. November 6 and 7. The Garden Club of St. Augustine holds a new Holiday Craft & Garden Market.
2. November 21, Light-Up! Night. The program runs 4 to 7:30 p.m. Cathedral Place has no parking all day and is closed to vehicles from 5 to 8 p.m. The north, plaza side of King Street between Cordova Street and Avenida Menendez has no parking all day.
3. December 4 and 5, Colonial Night Watch. The encampment is at the Oldest House. The torch parade starts at 7 p.m. on December 5 at the Visitor Information Center and goes through the City Gate and down St. George Street to the Governor's House and the Plaza.
4. December 5, Christmas Parade. From 9 to 10:30 a.m., the parade starts at Mission Nombre de Dios, heads south through downtown and ends behind the Visitor Information Center.
5. December 12, Regatta of Lights. From 6 to 7:30 p.m., boats run between Vilano Beach Pier and the Bridge of Lions.
6. January 18, 2027. The last night of the season.

December 5 is the busiest day on the calendar. Shuttles start at 8 a.m., the Christmas Parade ends behind the Visitor Information Center by 10:30 a.m., and the torch parade leaves from the same building at 7 p.m.

West of the river, the rest of the work is filling in

Several of downtown's newest businesses sit on the San Sebastian River side, near the bridge work. Alfred's soft-opened in early June at 222 West King Street, serving pizza, pasta and beer. The St. Johns Citizen reported on June 23 that a fire-suppression connection issue was holding up its full opening and limiting occupancy to 99.

On the river, Sebastian Harbor Marina is finishing a basin first dug in the early 2000s, next to the AC Hotel by Marriott. News4JAX reported in August that it plans 64 wet slips for boats up to 55 feet, with October 2026 as the target opening. The marina's website still lists October as its target. A rate sheet effective October 2 sets transient monohull dockage at $2.50 per foot per day for boats up to 49 feet and $3 per foot for 50 feet and up.

On the bayfront, River Restaurant Group told the Jax Daily Record it hopes to open a new restaurant by mid-December at 135 Avenida Menendez, the former Santa Maria site. If it opens on that schedule, it would be serving during the heart of the season.

One project is already done. Lighthouse Park at 440 Ocean Vista Drive on Anastasia Island reopened September 21, and the city's announcement lists ADA-compliant playground equipment, landscaping, sidewalks, a fountain and ADA handrails among the upgrades. Downtown businesses also got a reminder this fall. On September 14, the City Commission approved a flyer restating the existing lighting and sign-code standards for Nights of Lights displays, according to the city's news page.

Projects like the King Street Bridge affect how a street works, and they can affect how buyers see the homes on it. At Market Makers Group, we follow these timelines across St. Augustine. If you own near the West King corridor, the bayfront or Anastasia Island and want to know how the current work affects your home's value, request a free home valuation and we'll give you an estimate based on recent nearby sales and the projects underway on your street.