Clay County New Year’s Eve: Best spots to watch fireworks

New Year's Eve is Saturday, Dec. 31 and there are several large fireworks displays scheduled near Clay County for residents to attend free of charge.

New Year's Eve fireworks celebrations will occur the night of Dec. 31 (Saturday).Photo byBryan LopezonUnsplash

Jacksonville:

The city of Jacksonville is putting on its annual fireworks display to help local residents ring in the New Year on Saturday, Dec. 31 and into Sunday, Jan. 1. The display is sponsored by Coggins’s Chevrolet.

This year’s fireworks will be launched from a barge on the St. Johns River between the Hyatt and DoubleTree hotels and high above the St. Johns River from the Acosta Bridge, the City of Jacksonville’s webpage said.

The show can be viewed from both the North and South banks in Downtown Jacksonville and from Brooklyn and under the Fuller Warren Bridge where the Riverside Arts Market is held. The fireworks show will begin at midnight (11:59 p.m. Saturday) to ring in 2023, they said.

Click here for more information.

St. Augustine Beach:

A free 20-minute “Light up the Night” beach fireworks display at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier (350 A1A Beach Blvd.) beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31.

A shuttle service will be available from Anastasia Baptist Church to the three viewing locations on the beach: A Street, 10th Street and the St. Augustine Beach Pier Park.

According to the Visit St. Augustine webpage, parking will be available at Amici's Restaurant (1915 A1A South) and at the YMCA (500 Pope Road). Beach driving and parking will be allowed from A Street and going south, they said.

Click here for more information.

Fernandina Beach:

The City of Fernandina Beach and “Light up Amelia Island” is a family-friendly event held between Centre and Front Streets (downtown waterfront) in Fernandina Beach from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31.

This celebration is in conjunction with the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) “stroke of midnight” at 7 p.m., the Amelia Island webpage said.

Food, drinks and party favors will be available free of charge for guests as they await fireworks and the dropping of fake shrimp with LED lights inside of them to help light up the sky.

Click here for more information.