A 16th Century Spanish soldier holds his country’s flag as he awaits the landing of Don Pedro Menendez de Avilés. The reenactment of the landing is the beginning of a full day of activities celebrating the 441st anniversary of St. Augustine’s founding.

St. Augustine Celebrates 441 Years

Full schedule of events planned throughout
downtown on Saturday, September 2

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St. Augustine Birthday Celebration Schedule

(click on each link for a map)

(Museum is offering free admission all day starting at 10:00am)

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A Full Day of Activities

St. Augustine’s birthday party is not so different than most birthday parties. There are friends, music, games, ceremonies, and of course cake, although there is no attempt to match the number of candles to the city’s 441st anniversary.

Scheduled for Saturday, September 2, St. Augustine’s Birthday Celebration starts in the early morning and doesn’t conclude until dusk. Although the city’s actual birthday is September 8, the celebration is held on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend to accommodate greater participation by the community and visitors. The event was recently named one of the Top 20 events in the southern U. S. by the prestigious Southeast Tourism Society.

Founded in 1565 as a Spanish colony by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, St. Augustine is the longest continually inhabited city founded by Europeans in what is now the United States making it the Nation's Oldest City.

The day’s events begin with the traditional Founder’s Day reenactment of the landing of Menendez and a Mass held at the Mission Nombre de Dios starting at 10:00am. Then, at noon, the First Thanksgiving Cooking Contest will be held in the nearby Fountain of Youth Park. A first time event, the contest features ingredients available to the Spanish upon their arrival in Florida.

The afternoon’s activities are centered in the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum and will include Latin jazz, kid’s games, and birthday cake. The party moves to the Plaza de la Constitucion at 5:00pm for a concert by the Wind Ensemble of the Navy Band Southeast. Then the busy day concludes with the 7:00pm Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Government House.

All events are free, open to the public, and within convenient walking distance from the city’s new parking facility, the Historic Downtown Parking Facility.

Spectators on the grounds of the Mission Nombre de Dios watch as Menendez comes ashore for the reenactment of the founding of St. Augustine.

The Landing of Menendez

Perhaps the most stirring moment for spectators and participants at each year’s landing of Menendez comes with the realization that the reenactment is held on the exact same spot where the landing actually occurred.

Historical accounts and archeological research indicate that on September 8, 1565, with nearly 1,000 voyagers cheering, Menendez set foot on the shores of Florida at the location of today’s Mission Nombre de Dios. In honor of the saint whose feast day fell on the day Menendez first sighted land, he named the colonial settlement Saint Augustine and then all in attendance celebrated Mass. The site of the landing is marked today with a 200 foot high cross, erected in 1965 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding.

This year the Mass will be conducted at the Mission’s outdoor altar by Father Tim Lozier, Pastor of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine. Each year, a leading citizen is invited to portray Menendez by the organizers of the Founder’s Day Reenactment. This year the role of Menendez is portrayed by Donald Crichlow, a native of St. Augustine and a current City Commissioner. Commissioner Crichlow traces his heritage back to one of the oldest families in the United States, the Gonzales (1599) with Alvarez-Dias connections, and to the Menorcan families of Oliveros and Usina. An architect by profession, Commissioner Crichlow has a long history of public service and service to his community.

Following the landing ceremonies, St. Augustine Mayor George Gardner will present the city's official proclamation, and revive "The Words of September 8, 1565." Mayor Gardner was elected to his office in 2002 and reelected in 2004. He is the city's 117th mayor since Florida became part of the United States.

The Mission Nombre de Dios is located on San Marco Avenue. The event is open to the public and free parking is available at the site.

Commemorating the First First Thanksgiving

Decades before the Pilgrims sat down for a harvest feast with their New England neighbors the  Wampanoag, the good people of St. Augustine had already established the tradition with their neighbors the Timucuan.

To commemorate that first feast between settlers and natives, the Historic Florida Militia will hold a First Thanksgiving Cooking Contest at noon on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth Park.  The contest will feature dishes made by using only the ingredients available to the Spanish upon their arrival, including both native products and foodstuffs brought from Spain.

For more information on the contest, call Michele Reyna at 904.823.9852.

Historical interpreters bring Colonial St. Augustine to life every day in the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum. The museum is offering free admission all day on September 2 as part of the city’s Birthday Celebration.

A Fiesta with Latin Music and Birthday Cake

Starting at 2:00pm the Birthday Celebration moves to the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum on St. George Street for a Birthday Fiesta, a great party with lots of children’s activities, live Latin jazz and birthday cake for all.

The entire Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum with its artisans and craftsmen in authentic 18th century dress will be open with free admission all day starting at 10:00am. Children’s activities include constructing and taking home hand-made toys from the Colonial period. Luis Mario and his Latin Jazz Band, featured performers at St. Augustine’s Habana Village Café, will provide a Latin-beat backdrop to the fiesta.

During intermission, St. Augustine’s Royal Family will cut the traditional birthday cake and serve portions to all in attendance. The Royal Family, representing the Spanish Royal Family in 1672, the year the Castillo de San Marcos was commissioned, is selected each year from heritage families in St. Augustine. This year's Royal Family consists of Theresa Stokes Letterman as Queen Mariana, Andrew Usina as the boy king, King Carlos, and Michelle Pricenor as Princess Margarita Maria.

No food or drink may be brought into the museum but soft drinks and water will be available for purchase.

The Birthday Fiesta will conclude at 4:00pm and the museum will close at 5:00pm.

A local favorite, the Wind Ensemble of Navy Band Southeast performs under the oaks in the Plaza de la Constitución in a concert last summer.

Navy Band Returns to the Plaza

The entertainment continues at 5:00pm in the Plaza de la Constitución with a concert by the Wind Ensemble of Navy Band Southeast.

Always a favorite for St. Augustine audiences, the Wind Ensemble is a 35-piece band noted for its amazing versatility. A typical concert includes traditional marches, patriotic music, classical music, Broadway tunes, and new and exciting concert band music. The band has performed for thousands of audiences across the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. This concert is certain to please audiences of all ages.

Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited in the Plaza.

Changing of the Guard…one last time

The day’s events end in much the way a typical day would have ended in Colonial St. Augustine. Having secured the gates of the walled-town, troops are dismissed for the night, but not before their replacements arrive and are ready to take over the duty of guarding Government House, the home of the Spanish Governor. The 20-minute Changing of the Guard ceremony concludes with the resounding volley of musket fire.

The Changing of the Guard takes place in front of Government House, situated on the Plaza de la Constitucion. Spectators are invited to take lots of photographs and to remain after the reenactment as participants will answer questions about the life in Colonial St. Augustine. This is the final reenactment of the Changing of the Guard which has been running Saturdays during the summer months.

An 18th century Spanish soldier answers questions from visitors following a Changing of the Guard Ceremony.

After the Celebration

After the day’s official activities, visitors and residents alike are invited to remain downtown for dinner or a little after-hours shopping. The free shuttle between the Plaza and the Historic Downtown Parking Facility continues to operate until 1:00am.

For additional visitor information visit:

The St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & the Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau

or

The St. Johns Chamber of Commerce.

 

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