City of St. Augustine prepares for annual Independence Day celebration Fireworks Over Matanzas

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla — The City of St. Augustine’s annual Independence Day celebration, Fireworks Over the Matanzas, returns Tuesday, July 4, starting at 6:00 p.m. with The All-Star Orchestra performing a two-hour concert in The Plaza de la Constitución performing Big Band and popular tunes with a patriotic flare.

The 20-minute fireworks display will reach high over Matanzas Bay starting at
9:30 p.m.

Choreographed to a soundtrack of popular and patriotic music, the entire Bayfront between the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and the Bridge of Lions will be transformed into a theatre of sight and sound.

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Free Park & Ride Shuttle

The City will offer satellite parking and shuttle service on Anastasia Island, provided by Old Town Trolley Tours.

Parking and shuttle service will be available from 6:00 p.m. until midnight from parking locations along Anastasia Boulevard:

• 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.).

As the Aligator Farm is a parking-only location, those who park there must access the shuttle at the R.B. Hunt Elementary School stop by crossing Anastasia Boulevard at the lighted crosswalk just east of the attraction where law enforcement officers will assist pedestrians to cross the road safely.

The shuttle will drop passengers at the east end of the Bridge of Lions and pick them up from that location for the return trip following the fireworks.

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Parking and Traffic

Parking will be limited downtown, 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 be extra aware.

The St. Augustine Police Department has a traffic plan that moves vehicles safely and as quickly as possible out of the downtown area following the show. For more information, click here.

Parking in city-owned lots and in on-street spaces is free on Tuesday, July 4, as it is on all federal holidays.

Street Closures

Rerouting of traffic begins at 8:00 p.m. and continues until 11:00 p.m. and includes prohibiting vehicular traffic on the Bridge of Lions, Avenida Menendez, Cathedral Pl., and S. Castillo Drive. Additional street closures include:

• Picolata Rd. between US-1 & San Marco Ave. (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.)

• San Carlos between US-1 & San Marco Ave. (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.)

• King St will have two westbound lanes, and one eastbound lane, west of MLK Blvd. (8:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.)

• King St. will have one westbound lane and one eastbound lane, east of MLK up to Avenida Menendez

• There will be NO eastbound traffic on W. Castillo from US-1 to N. Cordova (8:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.)

• N. Cordova will be closed from Orange St. to the entrance to the Historic Downtown Parking Facility (8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.)

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Arriving by Water

The Bridge of Lions will not open for marine traffic, starting after the 8:00 p.m. opening, until approximately 11:00 p.m. Vessels will be prohibited in an area north of the Bridge of Lions to a point approximately in line with Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

Marine law enforcement will patrol Matanzas Bay and notify vessels in violation of the prohibited area.

It is important to note that fireworks may be canceled or postponed due to weather given the unpredictability of Florida’s summer rain showers. A cancellation or postponement will likely be a last-minute decision.

If the fireworks are canceled, the public will be notified on the city website and on the city’s social media pages.

If a cancellation notice is not posted, then the fireworks are still scheduled

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