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.
