City of St. Augustine Prepares for Modified Operations for Upcoming Nights of Lights
Improvements include increased public safety presence, modified traffic circulation, portable restrooms, mobile app, and more
This news release is provided courtesy of the City of St. Augustine.
Following last year’s unprecedented attendance and visitation during Nights of Lights, the City of St. Augustine has made significant modifications to its operations for the upcoming popular holiday lighting season. City leaders determined there would be substantial increased costs associated with the planned modifications and sought funding assistance from St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) through the Tourist Development Council and was awarded $851,000.
Funding provided by the BOCC comes from tourism tax dollars and is being used in support of services allowable by state statutes.
In addition to the Free Park & Ride Shuttles, STAR Circulator modified operations, and the Nights of Lights St. Augustine mobile app, the following areas of operations have been altered for the upcoming 2025-2026 Nights of Lights season:
Historic Downtown Parking Facility
During the same time when Free Park & Ride Shuttles are operating, the Historic Downtown Parking Facility will charge $40 per entry. All St. Johns County registered resident parking discounts will be honored. This is intended to incentivize visitors to use the free satellite parking and free shuttles.
Public Bathrooms
There will be 70 public portable toilets placed throughout the Historic Downtown District, some for the duration of the Nights of Lights season, and some placed temporarily for special events.
A map of all public restrooms, permanent and temporary, will be available in the Nights of Lights mobile app, beginning Saturday, November 8.
Pedestrian Safety
St. Augustine Police Department and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, including St. Johns County Public Safety Assistants will be stationed at critical intersections to direct pedestrian traffic.
Pedestrian barricades will be installed during busy weekends and every day from December 19 through January 1 along Cathedral Place on the north side of the Plaza de la Constitución as a barricade, preventing pedestrians from crossing Cathedral Place in the middle of the block. Pedestrians will be required to cross at the intersections of Cathedral Place at St. George Street and Charlotte Street.
Pedestrian barricades will also be placed on both sides of Avenida Menendez between the Bridge of Lions and the Castillo de San Marcos requiring pedestrians to cross at the designated crosswalks. As a result of this, street parking will be removed as necessary; however, vehicular traffic will not be interrupted.
Vehicle Barricades and Traffic Circulation
Meridian barricades will be placed at certain cross-streets in the Historic Downtown district to prevent vehicular traffic and maintain public safety for the duration of Nights of Lights.
At peak times traffic will be diverted off the westbound Bridge of Lions to right-turn only. Additionally, to prevent through-traffic from US1, barricades will be placed to restrict right and left turns into the Flagler Model Land and North City neighborhoods.
St. Augustine Police Department and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, including St. Johns County Public Safety Assistants will be stationed at critical intersections to direct vehicular traffic.
Rideshare Geofencing
To aid in reducing traffic congestion created by rideshare vehicles, the City of St. Augustine has implemented geofencing with rideshare service providers Lyft and Uber. When a customer requests a ride pick-up or drop-off in the historic district on Fridays or Saturdays, between 5:00PM and 2:00AM, they will be automatically directed to one of five centrally geo-fenced locations:
- Avenida Menendez, east side, near the horse and carriage loading zones
- Plaza de la Constitución, loading zone on Charlotte Street, near the Historic Market
- Visitor Information Center Clocktower, near the STAR circulator pick-up/drop-off
- Carrera Street, north side loading zone, ½ block west of Cordova St.
- Drive-through loop across from Castillo parking lot
Workforce and Residential Parking
Permanent as well as temporary permit parking will be available downtown for qualifying workforce and residents. The Toques Parking Lot, located at 24 Toques Pl., and the Granada Street Lot, located at 78 Bridge Street, will be used for workforce permit parking during certain hours. Additionally, the Flagler College Parking Garage, located on Malaga Street, will be available for workforce permit parking during the college’s holiday break, from December 13 through January 4, 2026.
Workforce parking information and applications.
Temporary residential parking permits will be issued in Flagler Model Land, Abbott Tract, and Uptown neighborhoods.
Temporary residential parking permits information and applications.
Communications Connectivity Boost
To proactively maintain the award-winning quality and reliability of their network during this highly attended event, Verizon is proud to partner with the City of St. Augustine and St. Johns County.
In support of the 2025-2026 Night of Lights Holiday Event, Verizon will be deploying a temporary, supplementary network asset at no cost to the city or county, to provide additional capacity and redundancy, helping ensure reliable connectivity for attendees, vendors, and event staff.
Nights of Lights Mobile App – Know Before You Go
In collaboration with the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau and the creative design and development of Visit St. Augustine, a Nights of Lights mobile app is available for download.
The mobile app will provide “know before you go” information for users to navigate the entire season for an improved and informed experience.
NOTE: Parking, shuttles, and public bathroom information will be available in the app on November 8.
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