ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Last month the city of St. Augustine announced that Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and Aaron Neville were among the performers who were performing at the Celebrate 450! Street & Music Festival on Sept. 4-6.
Last week, festival organizers announced an extensive line-up of local and regional musical and cultural acts, nearly 60 in all, for the three-day event. Many in the community can recognize many of their favorite performers who they may seldom get to see, and usually not for free.
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Certainly after reviewing the complete entertainment line-up, those who have not circled Labor Day weekend, September 4-8, on their calendars will likely do so, because there is something for everyone in this wide array of entertainment.
A local event
Since the earliest days of planning for Celebrate 450!, there has been a commitment to ensure that it is an event for the local community, a chance for those who live and work in St. Augustine and the greater St. Johns County area to enjoy their town like never before.
Most stages will be located in a pedestrian-only area bounded by Orange Street, Cordova Street, Cathedral Place, and Avenida Menendez. The main stage will be located at Ponce Circle, just east of the Plaza de la Constitución and will feature a large audience area where alcohol purchases and consumption will be permitted.
Other venues include Avilés Street, Hypolita Street, the Colonial Quarter and the Plaza's Gazebo.
While entertainment will begin during the day and continue into the evening, the pedestrian-only area will be in effect on Friday and Saturday from 5 until about 11 p.m. Saturday's entertainment schedule concludes with a fireworks display over Matanzas Bay.
Celebrate 450!'s Street and Music Festival hours are:
- Friday, September 4: 3-11 p.m.
- Saturday, September 5: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
- Sunday, September 6: Noon-2 p.m.
Headliners, main stage:
| Friday, September 4 | Saturday, September 5 |
|---|---|
| Aaron NevilleMavis StaplesPeople Helping People Gospel Choir | Emmylou Harris with Rodney CrowellJJ Grey & MofroJustin Townes EarleNicki Bluhm & The Gramblers |
All festival stages, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
| Musical acts | |
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| Cultural acts |
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Celebrate 450! continues
Even after the Street and Music Festival concludes, Celebrate 450! continues for another two days.
The annual tradition of commemorating the city's birthday with, of course, birthday cake and entertainment will be held on Labor Day, September 7. The events will begin at noon with a performance by The Driftwoods from at the Plaza de la Constitución's Gazebo. At 2 p.m., there will be a reading of the official proclamation, followed by the serving of birthday cake for all who attend. The ceremony will be followed by two hours of music by Mid-Life Crisis.
Tuesday, September 8 is the actual day that St. Augustine marks the 450th anniversary of its founding by Don Pedro Menendez de Avilés in 1565. The day's events start with a reenactment of the landing of Menendez and the hundreds of settlers who accompanied him and founded the city of St. Augustine.
The reenactment will be staged on the grounds of the Mission Nombre de Dios near the exact location of that original landing. Following the reenactment, a procession will travel down San Marco Avenue to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine for a commemorative Mass scheduled for 11 a.m. Most of these events will be televised live by The Local Station and will be streamed live on all platforms of News4Jax.
What's your question?
The most frequently asked question to organizers thus far has been: "Where do we get tickets for the Street and Music Festival." There are no tickets; it's all free.
And since different groups have different questions, the 450th Commemoration website has added a FAQ section and new information is added regularly. FAQ provides specific answers for festival goers, residents, businesses, volunteers, and the media.