Nights of Lights (sometimes referred to as Night of Lights) is an annual holiday
festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
of lights occurring in and around downtown
St. Augustine, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, in which buildings and rooftops throughout the downtown are decorated and lit by over three million of tiny holiday lights. The festival is a public-private partnership that begins in mid-November, and lasts through the end of January each year.
The festival loosely traces its origins to the traditional Spanish Christmas practice of displaying white candles in the windows, said to symbolize making room in a home for the biblical story of the
birth of Jesus
The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, his mother Mary was engaged to a man na ...
when parents
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
and
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
could not find room at an inn.
There is no admission fee or cost to view the lights, although specialized tours and viewing areas are available for fees.
History
Begun in 1993, the Nights of Lights festival is a public-private partnership, between the City of St. Augustine and the
St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, and local businesses and residents.
Architectural firm Angels of Architecture has designed and installed the jointly-funded lighting displays since 1996.
It has become a major tourist attraction, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to downtown St. Augustine each year to view the holiday lights, providing a boost to local businesses.
The idea for Nights of Lights began in the early 1990s, when former Mayor Len Weeks, with former City Councilman William Lennon, visited a city in Tennessee with a holiday lights display.
Seeking a way to light up the darkest month of the year to promote local businesses who would often close early, Mayor Weeks was inspired by the potential for a grand lighting display.
Returning home, Mayor Weeks sought contributions from local businesses and residents, and with a grant from the City of St. Augustine, Nights of Lights began.
Public-private partnership
The annual Night of Lights festival is an example of a
public-private partnership. It is partially funded by government and tourism grants, and partially by private businesses and residents. Grants are available to assist with costs of lighting buildings, and assistance is even provided in putting up and taking down the lights.
Nights of Lights makes a significant economic impact on St. Augustine and provides a boost to local tourism.
Awards
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
named Nights of Lights one of the ten most dazzling lighting displays in the world in years 2011 and 2012.
Conde Nast Traveler
Conde may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conde, South Dakota, a city
France
* Condé-sur-l'Escaut (or simply 'Condé'), a commune
Linguistic
''Conde'' is the Ibero-Romance form of "count" (Latin ''comitatus'').
It may refer to:
* Count ...
named St. Augustine and its Nights of Lights festival one of the best cities to visit at Christmas.
References
External links
St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention BureauCity of St. Augustine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nights_of_Lights
Annual events in Florida