07/01/2026
What a lineup of festivities!!
🇺🇸EVENTS THIS WEEK in St. Augustine, Florida celebrating America250:
🇺🇸FREE FORT ADMISSION
July 3-5: Free admission at all National Parks including the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is available July 3-5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
🇺🇸FLORIDA FREEDOM TOUR
July 4: As part of the America250 celebration, the Florida Freedom Tour will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 4 at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument parking lot featuring two repurposed 18-wheelers transformed into traveling museums, showcasing exhibits and artifacts from the Museum of Florida History.
🇺🇸LIVE MUSIC AT THE CASTILLO
July 3: As the St. Augustine Music Festival celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season, the organization partners with the National Park Service and the St. Johns Cultural Council to present this special tribute.
Set within the historic Castillo de San Marcos, Independence on the Ramparts helps launch St. Augustine’s observance of America’s 250th Anniversary. This free public event brings history to life through the stirring sounds of fifes, drums, and brass, celebrating the spirit of freedom and the rich heritage of our nation’s oldest city.
🎼11:30 AM-2:30 PM
Period fife and drum musicians will perform throughout the fort, recreating the sounds of America’s early years.
🎼1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM & 4:00 PM
A brass quintet will present patriotic and historically inspired music, with each performance beginning with a ceremonial trumpet fanfare.
🇺🇸FIREWORKS OVER THE MATANZAS
July 4: Fireworks Over the Matanzas, the City of St. Augustine’s annual Independence Day celebration, returns Saturday, July 4, with The All-Star Orchestra performing a two-hour concert in the Plaza de la Constitución, starting at 6:00pm, with the sounds of popular patriotic tunes.
💥The 20-minute fireworks display starts at 9 PM (30 minutes earlier than years past) reaching high over Matanzas Bay with a choreographed soundtrack of popular and patriotic music.
🇺🇸RIPLEYS WEIRDEST BLOCK PARTY
July 4: This Fourth of July, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! St. Augustine is throwing America’s Weirdest Block Party — a free outdoor celebration packed with live entertainment, family fun, strange history, and unbelievable moments. In addition to America 250, Ripley’s St. Augustine is also celebrating 75 years of wonder in the nation’s oldest city.
Guests can enjoy live music, face painting, giveaways, audience trivia, family contests, and a featured performance from Captain & Maybelle. The celebration will also spotlight the grand opening of Ripley’s Mirror Maze and the return of the new and improved Red Trains, now refreshed with an updated experience and all-new storytelling.
One of the day’s most unique highlights will be a live art demonstration from Sunscribes, who will complete the final John Hancock on a massive 4-by-5-foot Declaration of Independence using the power of the sun.
3:00 PM — Event begins
4:00 PM — Emcee welcome and weird history kickoff
4:15 PM — Sunscribes live art demonstration begins
5:00 PM — Family contests, audience trivia, and giveaways
5:30 PM — Featured set from Captain & Maybelle
6:30 PM — Final music and patriotic crowd moment
🇺🇸LIGHTHOUSE DISCOUNT
June-July: Get a 15% discount at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum on general admission and Dark of the Moon Ghost Experiences with code USA15 at staugustinelighthouse.org and click on TICKETS
🇺🇸GOVERNOR’S HOUSE FREE EXHIBIT
Florida at War — St. Augustine in the American Revolution
🕰️ Open daily from 10 AM-5 PM — Free admission
📍48 King Street
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine played an important role in the American Revolution — but not on the side of American independence! The city and its residents remained loyal to Great Britain, with many consequences.
🇺🇸VILLA ZORAYDA BUILDING AMERICA EXHIBIT
Daily: 🗝️Building America — The Life and Vision of Franklin W. Smith at the Villa Zorayda Museum
📍Villa Zorayda Museum
83 King Street
St. Augustine, Florida
Franklin Webster Smith (1826–1911) was an American reformer, visionary and entrepreneur whose influence extended far beyond his success as a Boston hardware merchant. An early abolitionist, author, architectural enthusiast and founding member of the first YMCA in the United States, Smith believed deeply in social progress, civic responsibility, and cultural exchange. He was also a pioneer of early American tourism, drawn to places where history and innovation converged.
In 1883, Smith constructed Villa Zorayda as his winter residence in St. Augustine, introducing a bold architectural vision to the city. Inspired by Moorish and Spanish Revival design, Smith employed a revived ancient building technique using poured concrete, a mixture of Portland cement, sand, and locally sourced coquina shell.
🇺🇸OAKFEST AT COLONIAL OAK MUSIC PARK
July 3-5: Three days of free concerts at the Colonial Oak Music Park at the Colonial Quarter in downtown St. Augustine — celebrating 11 years of the music park!
🎸Friday, July 3: Versvtile at 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 4: Tru Phonic at 🎸3 p.m. and Tennessee Ensemble at 7 p.m.
🎸Sunday, July 5: Muhly at 3 p.m.
🇺🇸BIRTH OF AMERICA WALKING TOUR
July: Learn about St. Augustine’s ties to the Declaration of Independence and many more Revolutionary War tales by joining St. Augustine City Walks for the FREE “St. Augustine & the Birth of America Historic Walking Tours” every Saturday in July at 6 PM
The tour leaves from 4 Granada Street. Space is limited. Advance reservations are required. Call 904-825-0087 to RSVP
This new tour will also be offered as a private tour. To learn more about rates and times, please contact 904-825-0087. More details at StAugustineCityWalks.com
🇺🇸ST. AUGUSTINE ART ASSOCIATIONS EXHIBIT
July-Aug 2: “When in the Course of Human Events” is presented by the St Augustine Art Association as part of the America 250 celebration. Artists were invited to consider the Declaration of Independence as a whole and how its philosophies or grievance resolutions have evolved over the years. The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday from 12-4 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit is on view through August 2 in the gallery and online at staaa.org
📍22 Marine Street
St. Augustine, Florida
🇺🇸SUMMER NIGHT MARKET + $2.50 HISTORIC HOUSE TOURS
Ximenez-Fatio House Museum
20 Aviles Street
🇺🇸Summer Night Market on Friday, July 3
This special event from 5-9 p.m. Friday, July 3 will feature live music and local vendors including artisans and authors. The theme for the evening is America250, serving as a kickoff to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. The event coincides with First Friday Art Walk.
🇺🇸Historic House Tours for $2.50
On Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, pay only $2.50 admission for historic house tours. Details in the Fig Tree Gift Shop, where tickets are purchased.
🇺🇸LIGHTNER MUSEUM POOL PARTY SUMMER MARKET
Friday, July 3: Shop from local artisans around the historic swimming pool area of Lightner Museum from 5:30-8 p.m. Enjoy family activities, games and giveaways, poolside jams from Tone Vendor Record Store DJs, a photobooth by The Social Book STA, the St. Johns County Library, and a book signing by Rise + Shine author Lisa Hanse in the Lightner Museum Store. Admission is free. Refreshments will be available for purchase at this event that coincides with First Friday Art Walk.
🇺🇸America250 PLEIN AIR PAINTINGS
On view daily through July 14: As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, this exhibit by First Coast Plein Air Painters highlights the legacy of Plein air painting that was popular in the late 19th century as America’s first coast emerged as a seasonal haven for painters from artist colonies across the United States. They were captivated by the regions expansive skies, historic architecture and diverse landscapes. Many found eager patrons among the Gilded Age visitors who wintered at Henry Flagler’s grand hotels, ensuring that art became a defining feature of the region’s cultural fabric.
🇺🇸PESCA ROOFTOP MUSIC + FIREWORKS VIEWS
July 2-5: Live music on the Pesca Rooftop at Hyatt Place in Vilano Beach. On July 4, Deejay Natural place dance tunes from 7-10 p.m., with a break for the Fireworks over the Matanzas from 9-9:20 p.m. Views of the fireworks in downtown can be seen from the rooftop. More details at pescavilano.com
