Nights of Lights extended one more week

Historic City News has learned that the 17th season of St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights will be extended for one additional weekend, meaning the last night to see the lights this year will be Sunday, February 6th.

The annual city-wide holiday lighting starts its 10-week long schedule on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and normally concludes on January 31st, but, this year, the city commission decided to throw in one more weekend for good measure.

“Judging by the success of the many holiday events and the comments received by visitors, the Nights of Lights has truly become a grand event for St. Augustine,” said Paul K. Williamson, Public Affairs Director for the City of St. Augustine. “Of course, much of the credit for the program’s success goes to the businesses and home owners throughout the community who participate at their own expense each year.”

As it has been since the beginning of the program, the City of St. Augustine is responsible for the installation and maintenance of the displays on over 100 public sites. The majority of the funding for the program comes from the city with additional support from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council. But the true impact of the event is in large part due to the participation of private property owners who willingly participate in the program.

According to City ordinances, exterior display of holiday lights within historic districts is allowed only during the Nights of Lights which runs annually from the Saturday before Thanksgiving through the last day of January. But the Commission’s decision extended that ending date.

“The community as a whole, and of course all of our visitors, appreciate the widespread voluntary participation that makes this event a success,” said Williamson. “This year we are asking all those participants to join the city in offering ‘just a little more’ of the Nights of Lights by extending their displays through February 6.”

The 18th season of the Nights of Lights will begin on Saturday, November 19, 2011.