St. Augustine Founder’s Day

Celebrate St. Augustine’s 459th anniversary on September 7, 2024, with Founder’s Day festivities. Commemorating the Spanish landing on September 8, 1565, this historic event features reenactments of Don Pedro de Menéndez de Avilés’s arrival, the first Catholic mass in what is now the U.S., and the New World’s first Thanksgiving meal.

Join Distinctive Beach Rentals for a weekend of living history with traditional Spanish reenactments at Mission Nombre de Dios, followed by a Catholic Mass, a grand procession, and a Thanksgiving meal at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.

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

"This important celebration of Founder’s Day also commemorates the 100th anniversary of St. Augustine’s sister-city relationship with Menéndez's ancestral home of Avilés, Spain. A delegation from St. Augustine, led by the Mayor of St. Augustine, Nancy Sikes-Kline and Father John Tetlow, rector of the Cathedral Basilica, visited Spain to participate a wreath-laying ceremony and a visit to the Church of San Antonio de Padua, where Menéndez is buried. A delegation from Avilés will visit St. Augustine to participate in the annual Founder's Day events."

Thursday September 5
7 p.m. | Public concert by Asturian folk band Tejedor at Lewis Auditorium, FREE

Friday September 6
10 a.m. | Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline will officially welcome the delegation from Avilés, Spain, at a wreath-laying ceremony in front of City Hall, at the Don Pedro Menendez de Avilés statue

Saturday September 7
10 a.m. | Landing reenactment at Mission Nombre de Dios, FREE
11 a.m. | Catholic Mass at Rustic Altar, FREE (bring a folding chair)
12 p.m. | Procession to Fountain of Youth, FREE
1 p.m. | First Thanksgiving meal reenactment at Fountain of Youth (regular admission)
1–5 p.m. | Encampment and weapons demonstrations (regular admission)

Sunday September 8
10 a.m. | Unveiling of 100th Anniversary interpretive marker and re-dedication of a tile mosaic previously gifted to the City, Aviles Street, FREE
Noon- 8 p.m. | Aviles Street Festival Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Aviles/St. Augustine Sister Cities, FREE
2 p.m. | Tejedor Performs at the Gazebo on the Plaza de la Constitucion, then at 3 p.m. on Aviles Street

Easily accessible from I-95, with close proximity to international airports and Amtrak stations.