Guide to Tree Lightings and Holiday Light Displays

Tree Lightings & Holiday Light Displays

The Jacksonville and North Florida area offer many tree lightings every year! Starting early in November, through Thanksgiving and up until Christmas, there’s sure to be a tree lighting event to amaze the whole family. Holiday light displays are fun for kids of all ages. Whether a holiday season event or collaborative neighborhood light display, Christmas tree lightings and light displays make the season bright!


Tree Lightings

Holiday Spectacular, photo courtesy St. Johns Town CenterSt. Johns Town Center Holiday Spectacular
November 12, 2016 :: 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The annual Holiday Spectacular is an exciting day of free festivities and family-friendly entertainment that concludes with the lighting of the holiday tree and a remarkable fireworks show. Retailers throughout St. Johns Town Center will offer holiday shopping incentives, in-store promotions, and specials throughout the weekend. The fun kicks off at 2 p.m. with activities and fun for all ages! Visitors will enjoy ice skating, magicians, holiday photo opportunities, games, giveaways, costume characters, holiday entertainment and more. Main Stage entertainment begins at 6 p.m. with dynamic holiday performances. The Main Stage is located in the Town Green in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy on Midtown Parkway.

For the grand finale, Santa will lead the crowd in an official countdown to light the dazzling 32-foot tree and kick off the amazing fireworks finale.


Light-Up! Night Ceremony, St. Augustine
November 19 :: 4:00 p.m.
The Nights of Lights Lighting Ceremony, also known as Light Up! Night, takes place on Saturday, November 21, 2015.  Locals and vacationers from all over join together to watch the City of St. Augustine flip the switch on two million white lights decorating the Plaza and buildings all over historic downtown.


20th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island
November 23 :: 5:30 p.m.
Thousands of sparkling lights beautifully decorate our resort for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting. Enjoy refreshments, entertainment by local community groups and The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival Brass Quintet. Raffle tickets will be available to support the local YMCA Foundation. Festivities conclude with Santa’s arrival and fireworks.


30th Annual Christmas on the St. Johns Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 25, 2016 :: 7:00 p.m.
Watch in awe as The Landing’s 56-foot-tall energy efficient tree comes to life as 78,000 LED lights glow in the night sky. This gorgeous tree also features more than 100 ornaments and is programmed to perform a 10-minute synchronized light show set to holiday music. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display on the St. Johns River. FREE


Jekyll Island Tree Lighting
November 26 :: 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Ring in the holidays with the lighting of the Christmas tree in Jekyll Island’s Historic District. Celebrate this holly jolly event with fun for the whole family. Once the sun goes down, the magic sets in as the Christmas tree is lit, accompanied by fireworks and snow!


TPC Sawgrass Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 26 :: 6:30 p.m.
Experience a holiday tree lighting at one of golf’s great locations–The Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass! The 6:30 p.m. tree lighting is a complimentary family event — music and hot cocoa included.  A buffet dinner by reservation follows the lighting. 


Fernandina Beach Christmas Tree Lighting
November 26
 :: Time TBA
Downtown Fernandina Beach at Centre Street and Front Street.


San Marco Balis Park Tree Lighting
December 2:: 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Join neighbors and merchants as they light up Balis Park for the annual tree lighting ceremony. Celebrate the season for some delicious bites from BBQ, a festive holiday cocktail, brews from Aardwolf Brewery, live music and store discounts.


Holiday Tree Lighting – Rotary Club of Bartram Trail
December 3 :: 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
The Rotary Club of Bartram Trail’s first annual Holiday Tree Lighting at Westminster Woods on SR 13. Join us for Christmas caroling and a performance by the Florida Ballet! Watch the Julington Creek boat parade and enjoy food, drinks and more. Proceeds support a new adaptive playground project by the Rotary Club of Bartram Trail for ESE students at Cunningham Creek Elementary.


Beaches Town Center Holiday Celebrations
December 3 :: 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The festivities will begin with a bike parade and everyone is invited to decorate their bikes and join in the fun.  There will be many family-friendly activities to keep the little ones busy including music, dance performances, face painting, arts and crafts tables, hayrides and much more throughout the Town Center area.  All activities are free to the public.  The Mayors of both cities will light the community tree and Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive by sleigh at 6 pm to visit with the kids. Consider bringing a canned food donation to help support those in need during the holiday season.


Holiday Light Displays

Enchanted Christmas Village
November 25 -December 31
The Enchanted Christmas Village is a magical and delightful experience that brings Christmas to life. Bringing families together in a fun and safe environment is the Village’s first goal. Guests will be surrounded by over one million Christmas lights that will illuminate the magic of the season for all to enjoy! An animated Christmas Tree performs every half hour in the evenings. The beauty of the Village will be set in the most beautiful backdrop of lush acres of land, complete with lake front views and country Christmas atmosphere!


Surf Illumination, St. Augustine
November 18, 2016 :: 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Surf Illumination on St. Augustine Beach is a dazzling and fun addition to St. Augustine’s world-famous Nights of Lights festival activities. As the lights go on all over St. Augustine during the holidays, St. Augustine Beach offers its own ceremonial lighting beachside, at the St. Johns Pier Park on A1A Beach Blvd.


St. Augustine Nights of Lights
November 19 – January 31, 2016
This award-winning holiday lights display runs from November 19, 2016, to January 31, 2017, in historic St. Augustine. During Nights of Lights, businesses downtown stay open later, letting you dine in view of the lights and shop amongst the lit buildings. The trains and trolleys offer special seasonal tours that take you through the best areas of Nights of Lights, and there are also a variety of specialty tours — everything from walking to horse-and-carriage tours, and even tours to see the lights from the water and from the air.

St Augustine Nights of Lights


Deck the Chairs
November 25 – January 1
The famous Lifeguard chairs in Jax Beach will light up this holiday season during the 2nd Annual Deck the Chairs. The Beaches Winter Light Festival will feature a display of more than twenty American Red Cross lifeguard chairs in Latham Plaza decorated in coastal-themed designs and lights. Kick-off is the day after Thanksgiving with chair decorating, music, hot cocoa, judging and lighting ceremonies.

Join us for Light the Beach Official Opening Night Celebration  on Sunday, November 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Seawalk Pavilion and Latham Plaza. The celebration will feature music, kids’ activities, original crafts, food trucks and chair judging.


Atlantic Beach Christmas
December 1 – December 31
This is one of many spectacular and magical holiday lights displays throughout Jacksonville. Atlantic Beach Christmas is located in the Ocean Walk neighborhood. If you take Seminole all the way down to the end and enter the neighborhood at the second entrance you will run right into Snapping Turtle Drive. Take a left here and you won’t be able to miss this vibrant display.  The houses that put it on recommend you park your car on Ocean Walk Drive West and taking a short walk over to the cul-de-sac. In addition to the incredible lights on these two houses, there is holiday music that plays well into the night.


Blackhawk Bluff Lights
(Check out our post Cruising for Christmas Lights!)This neighborhood located off Girvin Rd. has almost the ENTIRE neighborhood in on the fun and decorates with thousands of twinkling lights and Christmas displays. As you enter the neighborhood you’ll put on your parking lights and slowly meander through the canopy of shimmering lights that hang out of the trees.


Downtown Dazzle, Jacksonville Children’s Chorus
November 25 – December 31
Downtown offices of the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus will be illuminated with a holiday light display synchronized to recorded songs of the season.


Jax Illuminations
November 18 – January 1
This dazzling lights display will send you through almost a mile of 500,000 lights twinkling to holiday music you tune into on your radio. Jax Illuminations is located at the Morocco Shrine Center 3800 St. Johns Bluff Rd. South. The dazzling displays costs $20 to ride through.


Jacksonville ZOOLights
December 9-11, 16-January 2 :: Monday through Thursday 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. & Friday through Sunday 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Join Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens for the fourth annual ZooLights and watch as thousands of LED lights transform the zoo into a luminous winter wonderland filled with moving sculptures, forests of lighted trees and animal silhouettes. In addition to the lights, zoo guests can enjoy the Zoo’s lighted train, carousel ride, the 4-D Theater featuring The Polar Express, marshmallow roasting and even “warm weather” ice skating!


Stephen Foster Folk Cultural Center State Park Festival of Lights
December 2– December 24
This holiday celebration features more than five million lights! Named a Top 20 Event in the Southeastern United States, visitors can enjoy award-winning holiday sights and sounds throughout the park.  Unique holiday light displays include majestic oak trees decorated with thousands of lights, an antebellum museum dressed in full holiday splendor, a gingerbread village, a candy cane forest, the North Pole with Santa’s workshop and much more!


Christmas on Crystal Springs
November 24 January 1 ::
 Sunday through Thursday 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. & Friday through Saturday 6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Christmas On Crystal Springs is an animated Christmas light display located in Jacksonville Florida. It is dedicated to celebrating an often neglected part of the Christmas tradition which is the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This one house located off of I-10 at Chaffee is a sight to see. Each year they put up several hundred thousand lights choreographed to music.


Luminary Night at the St. Augustine Lighthouse
December 7, 2016 :: 7:oo p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The highlight of the holiday season at the lighthouse is Luminary Night.  Visitors are invited to enter the lighthouse grounds for a free evening of children’s holiday crafts, warm refreshments, live music performances (including a string quartet inside the lighthouse tower), visit with Santa, and an up-close look at the museum’s Christmas decor.  This is a special evening the whole family will enjoy.


Riverside Avondale Luminaria
December 18, 2016 :: sunset
This magical tradition in Riverside will put a smile on your face as you enjoy the annual lighting of the lanterns at sundown as well as bike rides, church festivities, block parties, light parades and much more.


Light the Park, Town of Orange Park
December 6, 2016:: 6:00 pm
Join the town of Orange Park as they light up Town Hall Park  for the holiday season. This special event will also feature a reading of “It was the Night Before Christmas.” (Note: Santa does not attend this event.)

JMB's Ultimate Guide to Holiday Events in Jacksonville

Meg Sacks
Meg is a working mom of four and an avid community volunteer. She has worked in corporate communications and media relations for more than 18 years, for a Fortune 500 company as well as a non-profit. She took some time off to enjoy life as a stay at home mom after the birth of her first child in 2008. Her sweet, introverted daughter, was excited to welcome her baby brother in 2013, and then boy/girl twins joined the family in 2016. Meg finds being an “office mama” a constant balancing act and never-ending challenge but enjoys the opportunities it offers her for personal growth. A Virginia girl at heart, she loves Florida’s warm weather, the great quality of life Jacksonville offers her family.

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