Amelia Island events: what’s on this week
Tonight, this weekend and the weeks ahead: live music, theatre, trivia, tours, markets and the festival year. Running something? Post an event, free.
On the board
For tides, sun and the day’s plan, see Today on the Island. Voting this season? The dates and early voting sites are on the voting page.
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What’s on every week
The board above is the live schedule. These are the standing rhythms it hangs on, so a normal week here has a shape before you read the day.
- Saturday mornings, year-round. The Fernandina Beach Market Place farmers market on North 7th Street downtown. An arts market sets up on Centre Street a couple of Saturdays a month, and Pogo’s Market, local growers, artists and makers, runs 9 to 1 at 1408 Lewis Street.
- First Fridays, April through October (skipping July). Sounds on Centre, the free outdoor concert at Centre and Second, 6 to 8. Bring a beach chair.
- Most nights, live music. The ocean-side beach bars and the downtown saloons post their schedules to the board, so tonight’s rooms are above, in start-time order.
- Theatre in season. Two theatres, Amelia Community Theatre and Amelia Musical Playhouse, run seasons of plays and musicals; runs and matinees are posted to the board while they play.
- Trivia and karaoke. Weekly at several bars; the board carries them by day, with the start time.
The festival year on Amelia Island
Dates move a little from year to year, and the board carries the exact ones once they are set. This is the shape of the year, so you can plan a visit around it or away from it.
- January
- Restaurant Week, and the winter concerts of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, whose season runs from roughly October to a June finale.
- February
- The Amelia Island Book Festival, typically late in the month, and the Festival of Stories & Song.
- March
- The Amelia, the collector-car Concours d’Elegance, typically a weekend early in the month at the island’s south end. Hotels fill that week.
- April
- The Songwriters Festival, and Sounds on Centre begins its first-Friday season downtown.
- May
- The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, typically the first weekend, in historic downtown since the early 1960s: the Friday-night pirate invasion, the blessing of the fleet, a parade and fireworks, and the biggest crowd of the year. Also Fish to Fork and the Wild Amelia Nature Festival.
- June
- The Chamber Music Festival finale.
- July
- Light Up Amelia on the Fourth: the downtown waterfront from about 6, fireworks over the Amelia River around 9, the foot of Centre Street the classic spot.
- August
- No big festival. The weekly rhythm carries the month, and the board carries the weekly rhythm.
- September
- Dining Month, and the Dance Festival.
- October
- The Amelia Island Jazz Festival, typically the first week, opening with a free community concert; then the Hop Craft Beer Fest, the Northeast Florida Fair, the Amelia Island Half Marathon and the Cookout.
- November
- The Right Whale Festival.
- December
- Dickens on Centre, typically a weekend early to mid month, free, with a Christmas market and costumed characters; and the New Year’s Eve Shrimp Drop downtown.
Post an event, free
Venues, bands, churches, clubs, galleries. If it is open to the public and on the island, it belongs on the board.
- 1 Fill in the sheet
- 2 A local checks it
- 3 Amelia spreads the word
Posted
It’s on the board.
Free, always. A local reviews every posting before it goes live — no bots deciding, and position is never for sale. Back to Just Ask Amelia
Questions people ask about events here
What’s happening on Amelia Island this weekend?
The board at the top of this page, under Tonight and the day chips, and it changes daily. On a normal weekend the shape is: the Saturday market downtown in the morning, live music at the beach bars and the downtown saloons from late afternoon, and a theatre run if one is playing. Festival weekends are in the festival year above.
Where is there live music tonight?
Under Tonight on the board, in start-time order, with the room named. Most nights someone is playing on the island; the ocean-side beach bars and the downtown saloons post most of it.
Are there free events?
Yes. The Saturday markets, Sounds on Centre on first Fridays April through October, Dickens on Centre in December and the Jazz Festival’s opening community concert are all free. Much of the bar live music has no cover; the board notes a cover or ticket price when the venue gives one.
Is there a farmers market?
Every Saturday morning, year-round, on North 7th Street downtown, plus the arts market on Centre Street a couple of Saturdays a month and Pogo’s Market at 1408 Lewis Street, 9 to 1.
When is the Shrimp Festival?
Typically the first weekend of May, downtown. It is the biggest crowd of the year, so book lodging far ahead, expect downtown parking to be a project, and confirm the current year’s dates.
Are Fernandina Beach events and Amelia Island events the same thing?
Mostly, yes. Fernandina Beach is the city at the north end of Amelia Island, and its historic downtown is where most of the island’s events happen. The board covers the whole island, downtown to the south end.
How do I get an event listed?
Post it above, free. A local checks it before it goes live; venues that have confirmed their directory listing post from their on-file contact and go live instantly.