City of St. Augustine press release:
City of St. Augustine prepares for America250 Independence Day celebration
Fireworks Over the Matanzas kick off at 9:00pm
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 9:00pm, 30 minutes earlier than years past, reaching high over Matanzas Bay with a choreographed soundtrack of popular and patriotic music delivered over an extensive sound system on the bayfront, transforming Avenida Menendez between the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and the Bridge of Lions into a theatre of sight and sound, marking the America250 celebration in the Nation’s Oldest City.
Free Park & Ride Shuttle
The City of St. Augustine will offer satellite parking and free shuttle service on Anastasia Island, donated by Old Town Trolley Tours. Parking and shuttle service will be available from 6:00pm until midnight from the following parking locations along Anastasia Blvd.:
· Anastasia Baptist Church (1650 A1A South),
· St. Augustine Amphitheatre (1340-C A1A South),
· R.B. Hunt Elementary School (125 Magnolia Dr.) and
· *St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park (999 Anastasia Blvd.).
*This is a parking-only location. Those who park here will access the shuttle at R.B. Hunt Elementary School by crossing Anastasia Blvd. at the lighted crosswalk just east of the attraction.
The shuttle will drop off and pick up passengers at the intersection of Flagler Blvd. at Gerado St.
Parking and Traffic
Parking will be limited throughout the downtown area, so visitors are encouraged to arrive early and use the Historic Downtown Parking Facility and nearby parking lots. With multitudes of pedestrians and increased bicycle traffic, those in vehicles are asked to take extra precautions and please be patient.
Parking in city-owned lots and in on-street spaces is free on Saturday, July 4, as it is on all federal holidays. Drivers are reminded to confirm that they are parked in a city-owned lot and not a private lot where towing may be enforced by the lot owner.
Downtown Parking Garage
The Historic Downtown Parking Facility, adjacent to the St. Augustine & St. Johns County Visitor Information Center at 1 Cordova Street, offers parking for $20.00 per car, per entry or $3.00 with the ParkStAug St. Johns County resident discount.
Castillo de San Marcos Lot
Parking in the lot at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is not free and is enforced from 8:00am - 9:00pm, seven days a week. The lot will be partially accessible on Friday, July 3, as portable bathrooms will be delivered and installed.
The parking lot at Castillo de San Marcos will be entirely closed to vehicular access on Saturday, July 4. And vehicles remaining in the lot overnight on Friday, July 3 to Saturday, July 4, will be towed.
Street Closures
Street closures will begin as early as 4:00pm at Cathedral Place with no vehicular access from Avenida Menendez to Cordova Street.
Additional closures will begin at approximately 7:30pm and continue until approximately 11:00pm, with vehicles prohibited on the Bridge of Lions, Avenida Menendez, and S. Castillo Drive.
· Picolata Rd. between US-1 & San Marco Ave. (7:30pm – 11:00pm)
· San Carlos between US-1 & San Marco Ave. (7:30pm – 11:00pm)
· King St will have two westbound lanes, and one eastbound lane, west of MLK Blvd. (7:30pm – 11:30pm)
· King St. will have one westbound lane and one eastbound lane, east of MLK up to Avenida Menendez
· There will be NO east bound traffic on W. Castillo from US-1 to N. Cordova (7:30pm – 11:30pm)
· N. Cordova will be closed from Orange St. to the entrance to the Historic Downtown Parking Facility (7:30pm – 11:00pm)
All efforts will be made to open roads beginning between 11:00pm and 11:30pm; however, due to the volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, all times are estimated and subject to change.
Arriving by Water
The Bridge of Lions will not open for marine traffic, starting after the 8:00pm opening, until approximately 11:00pm. Vessels will be prohibited in the mooring area north of the Bridge of Lions, west and north of Channel Marker 7, to a point approximately in line with Shenandoah Street. Marine law enforcement will patrol Matanzas Bay and notify vessels in violation of the prohibited area.
The St. Augustine Municipal Marina will have limited overnight slips and hourly dockage on the 4th of July. Contact the marina directly on VHF CH 16 or CH 71 for availability and docking instructions.
Exiting Downtown After the Fireworks
All traffic flowing from Lincolnville, westbound on King St, and through Malaga Street will be directed south only on US1. NO right-hand turns will be allowed onto US1.
All traffic flowing from the parking garage, westbound on W. Castillo, and westbound through the Downtown Historic District, will be directed north only on US1. NO left-hand turns will be allowed onto US1.
Once Avenida Menendez and the Bridge of Lions is opened to vehicular traffic, all traffic flowing south on Avenida Menendez and from Lincolnville east of St. George St. will be directed east only across the Bridge of Lions. NO westbound traffic will be allowed around the Plaza de la Constitución.
Modifications to the road closures may be made at any time at the discretion of the St. Augustine Police Department without advance notice to ensure public safety.
Cancellation Notification
If the fireworks are cancelled, the public will be notified on the following City of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Police Department digital channels:
City of St. Augustine Facebook page
St. Augustine Police Department Facebook page
St. Augustine Police Department on X
For media inquiries, contact Rachel Murphy, Communications Specialist at 904-209-4208.
Fireworks over the Matanzas is produced by the City of St. Augustine with support funding from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council. Complementary shuttle service is generously donated by Old Town Trolley Tours.
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