Nights of Lights: Behind the Scenes
![NOL bayfront BOL 2017](https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=aa4896a23f8a27c49de57f378fe5838c 320w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=3d0d270d5ceb6f560f7e99018f4c0dfa 540w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=cc138548a0ea539781c610a2912f5edb 768w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=c6ef49da551c6a99b3ea524e000515ed 1024w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=5c7fb02f3b446420129195641bfd7f68 1200w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=2c2da83cb27d162e775aa5c363dc1dca 1440w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/NOL-bayfront-BOL-2017-v1571081243.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=b5f61e7503b2e6940682730ca75805b9 1920w)
Have you ever wondered what it takes to pull off St. Augustine’s Largest Holiday Light Display?
When asked, visitors to St. Augustine’s annual Nights of Lights Celebration often describe the experience as “dazzling…spectacular…amazing…enchanting.” And why wouldn’t they? Seeing the Ancient City aglow with millions of sparkling white lights is an unforgettable holiday experience that over the past 30 years has become a tradition for hundreds of thousands of visitors. It’s no wonder Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic Traveler magazine and the American Bus Association have all selected the Nights of Lights as one of the best holiday light displays in the world!
![](https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=3eed622713d71880c5a3abcdc44537a9 320w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=0643631c6ed9b463589a89827d486ac4 540w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=866f87e60d0e9f0fa44bc24d0007e75c 768w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=263178aa2b74cc1f08f433f4e3d619b5 1024w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=fdee132a269391af49751c94fed1505d 1200w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=464d5663ea0d3ce1c66d59c26f2db434 1440w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=ceff77b5d844d790c53c8eff081b1b5c 1920w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=a93efe90d7da28dcf694c61a9beb9e2d 2560w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Plaza-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=e59e856e587327e24e11f6a49d378ff2 3004w)
But while mesmerized by the lights, decorations and holiday cheer, few visitors consider the amount of work required to bring this sparkling event to life. And while some might shake their heads in awe and say “man, I’d hate to have to string all these lights,” the job is far more demanding than most can imagine. In fact, the city’s Department of Streets and Grounds begins the work eight weeks in advance of the Saturday evening before Thanksgiving when the lights traditionally blaze to life for the first time. During those preceding weeks, the department’s dedicated staff not only string the fresh-from-the-box lights, they also adorn the city’s Victorian light posts with red ribbons and freshly-fluffed wreaths, place evergreen garlands on public buildings, decorate more than a dozen giant oaks as well as the city’s Christmas tree, a 25-foot fir from Sugar Mountain, North Carolina. Placed in the Plaza de la Constitucion, the tree is the centerpiece of the Nights of Lights and the backdrop for tens of thousands of family holiday photos.
![](https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=8f8cf30ebd529e0e80c4e6527f46a29f 320w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=1eb272e1ed13650efce92fdfaad789d2 540w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=ddaa7cf162baf63bf1bab4b9f7b37080 768w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=9a5b0957a1008b8bca9c47ff5d8dbc95 1024w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=d46a2550a6e02426c62b3bed0b3e3756 1200w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=56a7256f58ba73256064bffaac26e1b9 1440w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=4115c2597a6bd504e1307585b567d30e 1920w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Bayfront-NOL-BTS.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=b750204dbf2fac4721658a32d209ce1a 2448w)
The scale of this project is hard to imagine. For example, if all the lights installed just in the Plaza were connected into one single strand it would be more than 12 miles long! Fortunately, the city has many partners that help. A private firm, Angels in the Architecture, decorates the trees along the Bayfront and the beautiful Bridge of Lions spanning Matanzas Bay while local hotels and businesses join in with the stipulation that their lights must match the color of the city’s and the decorations must be removed by the first week in February.
![](https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Events/Christmas.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=83396c8e64d61351c77bb39cd07b56b8 320w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Events/Christmas.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=23b1c119295a1fbaa00ae2d7e45c4026 540w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Events/Christmas.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=4116cb92cf0361183db36fe1dc3acd0b 768w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Events/Christmas.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=a4646f202c5cb35a90b7392a5b721d3d 1024w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/Events/Christmas.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=8652ed91c44164775e51f986953989cd 1200w)
After the decorations have been installed and the lights come on each evening through January, the folks at the Streets and Grounds Department move on to their next responsibility – they do a nightly patrol to make sure all the lights are on. Then, each Monday, they clean up debris left by weekend visitors, fix any electrical problems, and replace missing or broken decorations. And when Nights of Lights end? The first week in February is devoted to removing decorations, re-cycling the lights and packing everything away for the next edition of this bright holiday tradition.
![](https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/red-bulb-NOL.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=537177083e8a610e3e2f78eea97d4168 320w, https://fl-historic-coast.imgix.net/images/red-bulb-NOL.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=ee1aed16f31adccef2f8d2437d303373 464w)
The Mystery of the Red Bulb: More than 20 years ago, a city employee had a ‘bright” idea; he would tuck a single red bulb among the millions of white lights at the Nights of Lights. Then, he would challenge his young daughter to find it. Over the years, the tradition has continued, and more and more people get involved in the search. Want to find it? You can search and search or improve the odds of finding it by solving the clever clues on Angels in the Architecture’s Facebook page.