St. Augustine says Nights of Lights may be getting too big

St. Augustine’s popular Nights of Lights brings people from all over the world to admire the historic city’s displays of holiday lighting. But after a particularly busy holiday season, city leaders say the pace may not be sustainable.

“We’re dangerously close to overtourism,” Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline said during a discussion about Nights of Lights on Monday.

Official data isn’t available yet, but a spokesperson for the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau confirmed that hotels in the area did “really well.”

City leaders observed heavier traffic than in past years.

“It was gridlock,” Sikes-Kline said. “Usually, you’ve got gridlock that moves, there’s moving cars. … This did not move.”

City officials want to see Nights of Lights become an event that is less disruptive to residents and local businesses.

It’s not Disney World,” Sikes-Kline said. “People really live here. We have to be able to live here.”

In 2024, St. Johns County gave St. Augustine $100,000 (up from $60,000 the previous year) to help fund Nights of Lights, and another $200,000 (up from $150,000 the previous year) to fund the shuttles the city uses to reduce the number of cars on the road.

That’s in addition to the millions of dollars that St. Johns County pays to help market St. Augustine as a destination, including specific marketing around Nights of Lights.

But city officials think it might not be enough, especially with the area’s growing population and the event’s growing popularity.

“I want to see the county step up and stop spending all the money on trying to get tourists here and help us,” City Commissioner Barbara Blonder said. “Help the city with the cost that the taxpayers are shouldering.”

If St. Augustine can’t get additional support from the county or the business community, Blonder said operating Nights of Lights for two full months may not be sustainable.

“It’s great for the businesses — that’s great — I am definitely supportive of businesses, but not at the cost of our taxpayers who are footing the bill, and not at the cost of our quality of life,” Blonder said. “If we do not get help, significant help, for the actual cost of supporting the infrastructure … I don’t think we can sustain it.”

City officials are expected to receive a report from the city manager about this year’s Nights of Lights in February after the display is officially over. Nights of Lights runs through Jan. 26.