Annual Events & Festivals - Annual Events
Jacksonville has such a calendar-busting quantity of annual events that most locals don’t have enough time to attend them all. From the artistic mash-up Art After Dark to the fuzzy Humane Society fundraiser The Fur Ball, the Jacksonville social calendar will give even the most seasoned socialite a run for her money. Many of the events are such an ingrained part of the year that locals plan around them, putting off vacations or delaying dates until after one event or another has passed.
It’s fair to say that most of our big events revolve around music, food, and the outdoors. Events like the four-day music festival Suwannee SpringFest, the international food and culture extravaganza World Of Nations, and the duffers’ draw The Players Championship golf tournament tally record attendance year after year.
Pay special attention to April and May, which has become the city’s unofficial festival season when you can attend a different Downtown or Beaches event almost every weekend.
The city of Jacksonville provides a great online event planner at www.coj.net/events that gives the exact dates (they often vary from year to year), times, and phone numbers for many events around town.
Again, there is not space enough to list every single event in these pages, and we all know by now that an encyclopedic listing is not our goal. Instead, we have spotlighted our Insider faves—many of them are time-honored traditions and some are relative newcomers on the scene. But, rest assured, all of them offer a darn good time.
Enjoy!
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 101 East Union St.
2. The Gator Bowl (Officially The Konica Minolta Gator Bowl)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 798-1700
Description: For over 64 years the Gator Bowl Association has been leading the charge when it comes to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations in Jacksonville. At the heart of the celebrations is The Gator Bowl, a New Year’s Day college football game featuring such big-ticket teams as Florida State or Notre Dame. The festivities begin on New Year’s Eve when the Gator Bowl Association sponsors a rowdy Downtown parade starring the marching bands from the two universities playing in the game. Afterward, parade watchers usually grab a bite to eat before hitting The Jacksonville Landing or Metropolitan Park for an evening of free music and midnight fireworks sponsored by the city.
3. Black History Month
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: From the Jacksonville Zoo to the Ritz Theatre, numerous organizations make a special effort to honor Black History Month. Make plans to visit the open house at the Clara White Mission, attend dance and music performances at the Ritz Theatre, or take part in a Black History Day Tribute at the Museum of Science and History. Check the city’s Web site for this year’s schedule of events.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 2445 San Diego Rd.
5. Much Ado About Books
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 630-1995
Address: 303 West Laura St.
Description: Sponsored by the Library Guild, this fund-raiser has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to buy books and computers and to sponsor after-school programs within the Jacksonville Public Library system. The two-day event brings nationally known authors to Jacksonville for writing seminars, readings, and signings. The celebration is also marked by a dinner gala that gives guests a chance to rub elbows with the authors.
6. Northeast Florida Scottish Games & Festival
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 2497 State Rd. 16 West
Description: Bringing a “wee bit o’ Scotland” to Northeast Florida, the Scottish Games are a rollicking good time. After the whiskey tasting (of course), make time to watch Scotophiles compete on harps, bagpipes, fiddles, and drums before moving on to Highland dancing, traditional Scottish athletics, and demonstrations featuring Scottish dogs, sheep herding, falconry, Gaelic language, and, of course, battle-axe throwing. Don’t miss the pub-crawl, which departs from Seven Bridges restaurant in Tinseltown the next day. And don’t blame us if the affiliated events, like the kilted golf tournament, leave you pining for the old country.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
8. Whale Of A Sale (Junior League Of Jacksonville)
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 387-5497
Address: 510 Fairgrounds Place
Description: The motivated ladies of Jacksonville’s Junior League organize this enormous, two-day, 1,200-family garage sale at the city’s fairgrounds. The sale provides a great way to go green by giving residents a way to reduce, reuse, and recycle their cast-offs. Come shop from among the thousands of donated items. The prices are low and the value is high. The preview party (a $35 ticketed event held the night before the sale) is catered and has huge silent auction component.
9. The Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 636-0027
Description: Even if you don’t especially like car shows, you’ll enjoy this one. Guaranteed. The Concours d’Elegance, which is French for “parade of elegance,” is a vintage car show with over 1,000 of the sweetest classic cars you’ve ever seen. Take a trip through time with Bugattis, Packards, and even ultra-rare Pierce Arrows. The event is held at the Golf Club of Amelia Island, in the shadow of the Ritz-Carlton resort. Stroll around this beautiful course and check out the cars, or park yourself on a green and watch the cars parade by. The show is a huge draw for the area resorts and hotels, which fill up early with car enthusiasts.
10. Art After Dark
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 355-2728 (box office)
Address: 128 E. Forsyth St.
Description: One of the most in-the-know fund-raisers among Jacksonville’s artistic set, Art After Dark started in 1997 to support the Friends of the Florida Theatre and has grown into one of the best ways to get a first peek at work by the city’s most interesting visual artists, both established and about-to-be-discovered. Build your art collection by purchasing pieces by artists who may very well dominate the art scene in the future. Most of the pieces showcased throughout the lobbies are for sale, and 90 percent of the proceeds go directly to the artists. Don’t miss the on-stage silent auction or the music and dancing in the back alley.
11. Blessing Of The Fleet
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 630-3690
Description: Whether you own a yacht, a sailboat, or even a dinghy, a prominent city spiritual leader will sprinkle holy water on (or near) your vessel during a large public ceremony—a tradition that dates back to the early days of Christianity when fishermen and their boats were blessed in the name of safe seas and bountiful catches.
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Address: 3931 Baymeadows Rd. (offices)
13. Great Atlantic Seafood & Music Festival
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Fans of Florida, Louisiana, and Key West seafood cooked blackened, fried, boiled or Cajun-style will love this festival. Dance to the tunes of Zydeco, jazz, blues, and beach music, and stick around for the fashion show, kids rides, games, crafts market, and 5K run.
14. Beaches Sandcastle Contest And Parade
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 270-1658
Description: The Beaches Sandcastle Contest kicks off the season with sandy flights of fantasy—think octopi, prehistoric fossils, and mermaids—with prizes in several categories based on difficulty of design, craftsmanship, and overall appearance. No more than three people may work on any one sculpture, except in the “Family” and “Groups” categories where up to five people can collaborate. Don’t miss the parade on Sunday.
15. Cummer Ball & Auction
City: Jacksonville, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 899-6038
Address: 829 Riverside Ave.
Description: Jacksonville socialites preen and make chitchat at the Cummer Ball, an annual event hosted by the Cummer Council. The black-tie event features dinner, dancing, fabulous live and silent auctions, drawings, and much more. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. Call for reservations and information.