St. Augustine’s 444th Birthday Commemoration
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 3-4-5
The City of St. Augustine’s Birthday is one of the most exciting times of the year. The commemoration grows each year and this year includes three full days of special events.
Starting on Thursday, September 3 and continuing through Saturday, September 5, the events commemorate St. Augustine’s standing as the longest continually inhabited city founded by Europeans in what is now the United States - making it the Nation’s Oldest City.
St. Augustine has set a remarkable record for endurance that is unmatched in American history. Despite hurricanes, wars, plagues and countless pirate raids, the city has survived and flourished continuously since September 8, 1565 when its birth was proclaimed by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles.
All activities surrounding the St. Augustine 444rd Birthday Commemoration are free and within convenient walking distance from the Visitor Information Center and adjacent parking facility.
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Schedule
St. Augustine’s 444th Birthday Commemoration
(click on each link for a map)
Music and Birthday Cake
Thursday, September 3
7:00pm
Map to the Plaza de la Constitución
A traditional part of the St. Augustine ‘s commemoration of the anniversary of its founding is the ceremonial cutting of the community birthday cake with the opportunity to serve hundreds of pieces of cake to the public.
This year the cake cutting will be held on Thursday, September 3 at 7:00pm at the start of that evening’s Concerts in the Plaza performance by Gatorbone as a kick off for a weekend of birthday related activities.
City officials will be joined by members of the St. Augustine Royal Family for the cake cutting after which members of the St. Augustine Sister Cities Association and the Historic St. Augustine Area Council of the St. John County Chamber of Commerce will serve cake to all in attendance. Cake service will continue until 7:30pm or until it’s gone. The concert is the last of the Thursday night performances in the annual series.
Celebrating Those Who Were Already Here
Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4
9:00am - 5:00pm
Map to Fountain of Youth Archeological Park
The Spaniards were not the first to think of the St. Augustine area as “home.” Native Americans known as the Timucua had been living there for at least 500 years when the Europeans first arrived. In fact, from the first moments of their arrival, the Spaniards encountered the residents of Seloy, a large Timucuan village located at the present site of the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park. Seminoles and other U.S. Indian tribes that have been part of Florida’s history will also be represented. Admission is free.
Thursday, September 3
6:00pm - 9:00pm
A Pow Wow
There will be an Indian Pow Wow which will honor the native American traditions that are part of the City’s history at the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park. Admission is free.
Landing Reenactment & Celebration of Mass
Saturday, September 5
9:30am
Map to Mission Nombre de Dios
The Landing
A full morning of activities begins at 9:30 a.m. as authentically clad soldiers prepare for the reenactment of the landing by the city’s founder, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, at the Mission of Nombre de Dios, the exact landing point of the Spanish colonists in 1565. The site of the landing is marked today with a 208 foot stainless steel cross erected in 1965 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding.
Following the landing, Mayor Joe Boles will read a proclamation from the City of St. Augustine and there will be a presentation by Dr. Susan Parker, Executive Director, St. Augustine Historical Society.
The Celebration of Mass
The landing reenactment will be followed, as it was 444 years ago, with a celebration of Mass at an outdoor wooden altar by the water’s edge at the Mission Nombre de Dios, located at 27 Ocean Ave. off of San Marco Ave. Father Thomas Walsh, Pastor of San Sebastian Catholic Church, will celebrate Mass which is expected to begin at approximately 11:00am.
16th Century Cooking Contest
Saturday, September 5
6:00pm to 9:00pm
Map to Fountain of Youth Archeological Park
A Feast
Decades before the Pilgrims sat down for a harvest feast the good people of St. Augustine had already established the tradition with their neighbors the Timucuan. There will be a cooking contest featuring foods dating from the 16th century. The prepared food will be judged and there will be plenty of sampling of the Spanish flavors and demonstrations that will teach about the flavors that have influenced the culinary culture of St. Augustine. Authentic 16th Century dinners will be available for purchase and period music and dancing will be performed throughout the evening.
The contest will take place at a historical encampment and those entering a dish are requested to deliver their prepared food at 5:00pm to the Park. For more information on entering the contest, call 904.669.1485.
