Festivals Abound During Jacksonville’s Springtime
FESTIVALS ABOUND DURING JACKSONVILLE’S SPRINGTIME
Events Celebrate Film, Cars, Art, Food, Music, Nature, Culture and More
Calendar of Events: February – May, 2010
February 2010:
On Feb. 21, participate or join thousands of spectators for the 3rd annual 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. As the only marathon in the country dedicated solely to raising money to fight breast cancer, the funds raised will be donated to The Donna Foundation and Mayo Clinic for breast cancer research and its multidisciplinary Breast Clinic, which specializes in the detection and treatment of breast cancer. A half-marathon is also scheduled.
Back for its second year, the newly created Amelia Island Film Festival will celebrate local and regional filmmakers in venues throughout historic downtown Fernandina Beach Feb. 25-March 1. This quaint town is the perfect host – visitors can walk or take a horse-drawn carriage to all events. Program includes a meet and greet with filmmakers, writers, artists, songwriters and other movers and shakers.
Jacksonville’s annual book festival, Much Ado About Books, takes place Feb. 26-27 at the Jacksonville Main Library in Downtown. Events include a writer’s workshop with Steve and Elizabeth Berry, an intimate breakfast panel with Chris Bohjalian, panel discussions, Children’s Chapter and a keynote luncheon featuring Mary Kay Andrews. Other authors include Michael Craven, Donna Deegan, Tori Murden McClure and more.
March 2010:
Jacksonville’s Riverside Arts Market (RAM), the largest free weekly arts and entertainment venue in the state of Florida, will return for its second year on March 6. Located under the Fuller Warren Bridge just minutes from Downtown, RAM will be open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December. The family-friendly market boasts freshly baked bread, paintings, fresh local produce, sculpture, honey, pottery, great food from local restaurants, wood carvings, herbs, cut flowers, jewelry, plants, cheeses, woven baskets and more. There is also live entertainment on the riverfront stage and kids activities to enjoy each week.
The 15th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance celebrates classic cars and the people who admire them. Events take place at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island and The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach March 12-14. Veteran NASCAR racer Richard Petty has been named the honoree for 2010, and will participate in a panel discussion with Sir Stirling Moss OBE and Don “Big Daddy” Garlits on Saturday. Two of SPEED TV’s most animated and popular commentators, David Hobbs and Sam Posey, will moderate.
An extraordinary 15k run through Downtown Jacksonville and its bridges, the Gate River Run hosted nearly 20,000 runners and walkers last year and promises to be even bigger this year. The race will take place March 13. Live bands perform at 10 different locations on the course to keep you pumped up throughout the race, water stations are located at every mile and thousands of spectators come out for yard parties all along the route.
Experience “March Madness” in Jacksonville when the city plays host to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 1st and 2nd Rounds. Fans from all over will flock to Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena March 19 and 21 to watch their teams compete on the road to becoming bracket champions in one of the most exciting sports events in the country.
Family fun, arts and crafts, games, rides and, of course, lots of great seafood – fried, boiled, grilled or blackened – are featured at the annual Great Atlantic Seafood and Music Festival at Jacksonville Beach’s Sea Walk Pavilion. This year’s festival will be held March 20.
April 2010:
The 2009 Southern League Champion Jacksonville Suns, will take on the Major League Florida Marlins in a special pre-season exhibition matchup at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on April 2. The Suns’ regular season will begin April 8. Admission is inexpensive with other great specials in the stadium. Tuesday nights feature ice cream, hot dogs and peanuts for 50 cents, Thursday Night Throwdowns offer draft beers for just a dollar and Fridays are Family Fireworks night.
Top women tennis players and rising stars compete in MPS Group Women’s Tennis Championships, part of the worldwide Sony Ericsson WTA Tour consisting of more than 2,000 players representing 90 nations competing for $70.8 million in prize money at the Tour’s 60 events in 34 countries. Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach hosts this revered tennis tournament in its second year April 5-11. Defending champion, Caroline Wozniacki, has committed to play in the tournament again this year.
Bring the entire family to celebrate blues music and the arts at the George’s Music Annual Springing the Blues. The three-day free oceanfront event will take place April 9-11 and features a number of renowned blues performers as well as numerous displays and activities geared for the entire family. The annual event is held at the Sea Walk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.
Arena football is returning to Jacksonville after an eight-year hiatus. The Jacksonville Sharks, an Arena Football 1 (AF1) team, will host teams from across the country for nine home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The 2010 season kicks off on April 16 and will continue through July. Fans are forewarned: if a player goes flying into your lap, you can keep his football, but you must give the player back!
Florida’s Birding and FotoFest features professional photographers giving hands-on advice and nature excursions throughout Northeast Florida. Headquartered at Guana Environmental Education Center, attendees can experience a butterfly house, vendors and other family activities. This year’s event will be held April 22-25. There is no cost to visit the education center and excursions range in price.
On April 24-25, the beaches will officially welcome visitors as temperatures become warmer with the Beaches Sandcastle Contest & Parade. The sandcastle contest kicks the weekend off with prizes in several categories. On Sunday, a lively parade marches through Jacksonville Beach.
There is no better way to taste Northeast Florida’s freshest seafood than the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival. This unique celebration is complete with pirate invasions, a juried arts show, kids’ activities, craft and antique booths and more. The festival takes place April 30-May 2 in historic downtown Fernandina Beach.
Each spring, Jacksonville celebrates its cultural diversity with the World of Nations Celebration, presented by the City of Jacksonville. From April 30-May 3, Metropolitan Park will transform into a multi-ethnic marketplace of cuisine, crafts and entertainment of people from throughout the world. With more than 30 countries represented, the festival provides a unique look into cultures from across the globe.
May 2010:
THE PLAYERS Championship is one of golf’s biggest events played annually on the coastline of Northeast Florida at the famed Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The lush, green rolling hills and steep inclines offer spectacular views of each hole, but the course is best known for its signature hole, the par-3, 132-yard 17th “Island Green” hole, one of golf’s most recognizable and difficult holes. The tournament will take May 3-9, beginning with practice rounds on Monday. Thursday, the competition heats up as Round 1 of tournament play begins, concluding Sunday with fans gathering around the 18th hole to see who will take home the crystal trophy.
Celebrate Mother’s Day on May 9 in Jacksonville Beach with the annual Pops at the Beach concert. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra will perform popular tunes at the Sea Walk Pavilion from 5:30 – 9 p.m. The free concert is a great addition to a relaxing Mother’s Day retreat in Jacksonville Beach.
Sea Walk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach will feature Moonlight Movies on May 21 and May 28 from 9-11 p.m. Enjoy classic movies under the stars and by the ocean. These events are free to the public and featured movies will be announced a few weeks prior to the first screening.
In 2009, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival found a new annual date during the Memorial Day holiday weekend and a new home in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville. The free event features a street party atmosphere and four stages scattered in the city’s Laura Street corridor, May 27-30. Enjoy internationally acclaimed jazz performers, as well as the region’s best musicians during this four-day event. Art at the Met art festival, ‘Round Midnight Jazz Jam, a wine tasting and Sunday jazz brunch add another layer of cultural flavor to an already extraordinary event.
Remember wounded and lost soldiers and their families this Memorial Day, May 31, with Jacksonville’s annual Memorial Wall Ceremony. Along with the fallen servicemen and women, Jacksonville will honor its military heritage and local heroes with keynote speakers, the presentation of colors, family tributes, a wreath presentation, a 21-gun salute, “Taps” and musical tributes.
Leave your response!