The St. Augustine City Commission will vote on shortening Nights of Lights by more than a third at their next meeting, according to a resolution item posted online.
Citing resident complaints over traffic, pedestrian congestion and infrastructure strains, Vice Mayor Barbara Blonder broached the possibility of shortening the Old City’s signature event earlier this month.
An agenda for the panel’s March 24 meeting indicates that the five-person board will now vote on setting new dates for this year’s festival.
“The 2025 seasonal illumination display and celebration of Nights of Lights will run from Wednesday, November 26, 2025, through Sunday, January 4, 2026, inclusive of those dates,” the resolution reads.
This past Nights of Lights began on Nov. 23 and lasted until Jan. 26, a span of 65 days.
The resolution suggests that the change would only apply to this year.
The item’s language notes that the city commission has the power to modify the length of Nights of Lights, and has done so in the past “in response to challenges and pressures caused by adverse economic conditions, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Blonder previously argued that the upcoming closure of the King Street Bridge will exacerbate traffic in and around the downtown area.
The new resolution references that closure, asserting that it qualifies as one of several “exceptional circumstances expected in 2025.”
Nights of Lights critics argue that it has become increasingly unmanageable, and that residents are subjected to intolerable inconveniences.
Backers counter that the busy two-month stretch serves as a vital financial lifeline that keeps local merchants and their employees afloat.
They’ve argued that the board should focus on improving management of the event rather than clipping its length.
The City Commission is considering hiring a consultant to help them handle Nights of Lights moving forward.
But Blonder contended that those changes would not be implemented in time for this year’s event, hence the need for the proposed shortening.
3 Responses
When did the bulk of visitors come? If I had to take a guess, it would be the week before Christmas and the week after. Eliminating the rest of January will not solve that problem AND those that do come in January will just come in December thereby making the problem worse. The real problem is parking. There are so many parking lots to the north and south that could be used as overflow parking on the weekends during peak dates and times with school buses to transport to the downtown area. I strongly suggest using the 25/26 NoL season to concentrate on studying traffic patterns and specifically when and where the traffic gets problematic. Once the problem is quantified, the solutions are there – we just need some creativity to find and implement them.
I would like to hear from someone who supports shortening the days explain to me why this would help with ANYTHING associated with NOL. This does nothing to address the problems (traffic, parking, bathrooms).
No need to guess. Let’s stick with facts. Every night from the start to finish of this ridiculously overrated event of white lights brings voluminous cars, people trash and thieves. No one can even get out of the city to go around and away! We don’t need more parking or shuttles. Detour them away. Locals patronize downtown. Not to worry all of the developers that put in hundreds of new residents will keep the town and our service industry flourishing! It’s time we shut the greed down and enjoy our tax dollars and the place where we live. There’s Disney, Jacksonville, pigeon forge they can all flock too!