Early Spring Preview: Getting Ready for Festival Season

Late February marks the end of one season and the budding of a new one, which means the winter chill begins to lift and sunshine heralds new, blossoming life. It also means St. Augustine begins to stir out of its winter hibernation in anticipation of festival season.

From late February through April, this city transforms into something even more alive than usual, with music filling the plazas, seafood sizzling along the waterfront, and performances spilling out of every courtyard and theater. If you’re trying to plan a spring visit, or just figure out which weekends to clear your calendar, here’s what’s headed our way. Consider this your early preview and planning guide for the most festive stretch of the year in the Oldest City.

We’ve rounded up the biggest events on the spring calendar. Mark these dates now. Accommodations and tickets for the most popular events go fast, and showing up without a plan on a festival weekend in St. Augustine is an adventure in frustration.

Cathedral Festival: The Season Opener

Every spring season needs an opening act, and in St. Augustine, that role belongs to the Cathedral Festival. Held on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios (101 San Marco Ave.), this beloved annual event has been gathering families for generations, and the 2026 edition, the 41st annual, runs Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22.

The festival runs Friday from 5:00 to 10:30 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9:00 p.m. Fireworks are planned for 9:00 p.m. Saturday night. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 11-17 and adults 65 and older, and free for active-duty military and children 10 and under.

Think of it as a classic American carnival with a St. Augustine soul. There’s a full midway with rides, games, live music across all three days, food vendors, a silent auction, bingo, and a Super Raffle drawing on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. It’s the kind of event where multi-generational families show up together and kids beg to come back the next day. Proceeds benefit the Cathedral Parish School and the Cathedral Parish Early Education Center, which means your corn dog purchase is technically charitable giving.

Advance ride tickets are available at Cathedral Parish School (259 St. George Street), Carmelo’s Marketplace (146 West King Street), and all local Ameris Bank branches.

St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival

Three weeks after the season opener, the city shifts from carnival rides to kilts and bagpipes. The St. Augustine Celtic Music & Heritage Festival is one of the most celebrated cultural events in the Southeast, having earned a #4 ranking from USA Today on their list of Best Cultural Festivals in the United States. For 2026, it’s the festival’s 15th year, and organizers aren’t planning to let that milestone go quietly.

The main festival runs at Francis Field (25 W. Castillo Drive) on Saturday, March 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For the whiskey enthusiasts in the group, a Whiskey Tasting event kicks things off Friday evening, March 13, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the VIP Tent, at $75 per person for seven premium Irish and Scotch whiskey brands. Tickets must be purchased in advance online.

General admission is $25 per day, and VIP all-weekend passes are $100. Active-duty and retired military receive free admission with valid ID. Buy tickets now at celticstaugustine.com.

Saturday morning kicks off with the St. Patrick’s Parade at 10:00 a.m., which traces its origins to 1601 when St. Augustine residents honored a popular Irish Catholic priest, making it the world’s oldest St. Patrick’s celebration. The parade route runs from Orange Street along the bayfront, past the Castillo, through the Plaza de la Constitución, and winds up at Francis Field. From there, the full festival unfolds across two stages, with headlining acts including Albannach, Mudmen, and Steel City Rovers, alongside Highland Games competition, Celtic artisan vendors, workshops, lectures, and a full children’s zone. No pets are permitted on festival grounds, but you may bring blankets and chairs.

St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival

Photo courtesy of St. Augustine Lions Festival

The Seafood Festival crowd barely has time to recover from the Celtic weekend before the next festival rolls in. The 43rd Annual St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival lands at Francis Field (25 W. Castillo Drive) on Saturday, March 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is $10 per person. Children 12 and under get in free.

The Lions Club has been running this event since 1981 and has raised well over two million dollars for charitable causes in that time, so your ten-dollar entry fee is doing real work in the community. The food spread is the star of the show: lobster, crawfish, scallops, shrimp, and more, rounded out by county fair classics and cuisine from a range of other cultures.

Beyond the food, there’s a full lineup of live music across the weekend spanning jazz, Latin, country, folk, classic rock, Motown, and contemporary acts. The Arts & Crafts Village brings together around 100 artisans. The Pirate Landing Stage runs family entertainment both days, headlined by Captain Mayhem and his crew with juggling, storytelling, dancing, singing, and magic. There’s also axe-throwing for adults, face painting, and a kids’ bungee and rock wall area.

The festival doesn’t allow coolers, pets (except certified service animals), or outside food and drinks. ATMs are on site, and most vendors accept cards. For questions, contact the Lions Club at (904) 824-4325 or visit lionsfestival.com.

St. Augustine PoetFest

Photo courtesy of Ancient City Poets

Just as the seafood and Celtic crowds have caught their breath, April arrives with something entirely different. The 5th Annual St. Augustine PoetFest runs Thursday through Saturday, April 9-11, and serves as St. Johns County’s official celebration of National Poetry Month. Presented by Ancient City Poets, Flagler College, and the St. Johns Cultural Council, every event is free and open to the public.

The festival kicks off Thursday evening at The Waterworks with the Beat Poet Summit, featuring current and past Beat Poet Laureates inspired to “Get on the Road” in the tradition of Kerouac. Friday and Saturday move to Flagler College for workshops, panels, and a keynote speaker, wrapping up Friday evening with an open mic at Relampago Coffee Lab (74 Spanish Street) at 6:30 p.m.

It’s a quieter weekend than its predecessors, but there’s something fitting about gathering to celebrate the written word in a city that’s been inspiring storytellers for 450 years.

Gamble Rogers Folk Festival

Photo courtesy of Hannah Stokes

Shift gears entirely in mid-April. If the first weeks of spring are loud and communal, the 31st Annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival offers something more intimate: three days of beautifully crafted music, storytelling, and folk tradition in the open air. The festival runs at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds (5840 S.R. 207, Elkton) from Friday, April 10 (5:00 to 10:00 p.m.) through Saturday, April 11 (11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and Sunday, April 12 (11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). It’s a short drive west of St. Augustine, past I-95.

Weekend passes are $85, with single-day tickets at $35. Camping is available on the fairgrounds with bathroom and shower facilities, making this a genuine festival-weekend experience rather than just a day trip. Pets on leashes are welcome.

The festival honors the legacy of Gamble Rogers, a St. Augustine-born folk musician and storyteller who died in 1991 while attempting to save a drowning man. The 2026 lineup features Grammy Award-winner Dom Flemons and his supergroup The Traveling Wildfires, alongside Verlon Thompson, Walter Parks, Alexa Rose, and many others. Four stages, workshops, food trucks, local artisans, and a dedicated YoungFolk Stage round out the weekend. Check the OldCity.com calendar for ticketing updates as they’re released.

Late April: A Final Flourish

The last stretch of April stacks up quickly, giving spring one final burst before May takes over. A few more events worth circling on your calendar:

Photo Courtesy of The Taste of St. Augustine

• Taste of St. Augustine (April 12) – More than 20 local restaurants and food trucks descend on the St. Augustine Amphitheatre (1340C A1A South) from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. General admission is $10; taste tickets are $1 each.
• Florida’s Birding & Photo Fest (April 22-26) – Nearly 100 photography seminars, field workshops, birding tours, and boat excursions at Celebration Hall at St. Anastasia (5205 A1A South, St. Augustine Beach), led by internationally recognized photographers.
• Plein Air Paint-Out (April 24-26) – Up to 70 artists from across the country paint en plein air throughout the streets, parks, and bayfront of historic St. Augustine. Free to watch.
• Roscolusa Songwriters Festival (April 25) – Nashville songwriters perform their hits and share the stories behind them at Crosswater Hall at Nocatee (232 Nocatee Center Way, Ponte Vedra), 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. General admission is $25, VIP is $100. Tickets have sold out four years running, so don’t wait.

And There’s More Where That Came From

The festivals above are the headliners, but spring in St. Augustine is a season of overlapping celebrations. A few more worth keeping on your radar:

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• Spanish Food & Wine Festival (February 19-21) – A weekend of events celebrating Spanish wine, cuisine, and culture at Flagler College and the Lightner Museum, connecting St. Augustine to its Spanish heritage.
• Menorcan Heritage Celebration (March 14)– An annual celebration of St. Augustine’s Menorcan roots at Llambias House (31 St. Francis Street) from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., featuring traditional foods, music, and dancing. Free admission.
• St. Augustine Craft Brewers’ Fest – Local and regional craft breweries converge for a weekend of tastings, food pairings, and live music.
• St. Augustine History Festival – A deep dive into the city’s layered past through reenactments, lectures, and guided tours.

The city also runs a free park-and-ride shuttle service on select Saturdays in March and April, with extended service on parade days. Park free at the West King Street lots and ride directly into the historic district.

Planning Tips Before You Pack Your Bags

A few things worth knowing before you commit to dates. Accommodations book up fast for Celtic, Seafood, and Gamble Rogers weekends, so don’t wait until March to look for a hotel. The Francis Field events are outdoors on grass, so comfortable shoes and a light rain layer are your friends. February and March tend to run in the upper 60s to low 70s during the day and cooler in the evenings, while April warms into the mid-to-upper 70s.

The Old City events calendar is your best resource for the most current dates, times, and any last-minute additions. Bookmark it now, check it often, and let yourself be surprised by how much this city has to offer when it’s in full bloom.

Spring comes to a lot of places, but in St. Augustine it comes with delicious food, lively festivals, and a soundtrack to top it all off.

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