St. Augustine Archives - Robert Redd Historian & Author

The Best in Florida Events and Festivals September 2023

Florida hosts some amazing events and festivals. Each month I hope to take a look at a dozen or so of these in hopes of bringing you fun, exciting, and unexpected ways to enjoy our state.

If you have an event or know of one coming up that you feel should be highlighted, please drop me a line with as much information as you can, including a website. I’ll be glad to include your suggestions in future posts.

Events are listed in date order.

September 1-10 Miami International Auto Show Miami Beach

Our show provides an excellent opportunity for consumers to view the latest models and newest technologies within the auto industry. The focus for the show in 2023 will mirror that of the industry with a special emphasis on electric vehicles and sustainability.

Several indoor EV tracks will introduce South Floridians to the newest electric vehicles on the market. For the first time in the Auto Show’s history, the Camp Jeep activation will be moving inside the Convention Center. The vehicles on the thrill-ride tracks will be electric.

Admission is $15 for adults. Several discount programs are available. Check the website for details.

September 7-10 Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Festival Islamorada

REEF’s 14th annual event will include two full days of lionfish fishing, followed by a family-friendly festival at picturesque Postcard Inn Resort & Marina. The festival is open to the public and will include lionfish scoring, fillet and dissection demonstrations, lionfish tastings, lionfish games and crafts, raffle prizes, plus booths from environmentally-minded vendors. Chefs will be providing lionfish cooking demonstrations and special dishes and drink specials will be available.

While in Islamorada, you don’t want to miss out on the incredible snorkeling and diving, where you can experience coral reefs, tropical fish, and other marine life. Relax on this two-hour guided catamaran tour and enjoy all that Islamorada has to offer. Click THIS LINK for details and to book the snorkeling adventure of a lifetime.

September 8 Emerald Coast Beer Festival Pensacola

Emerald Coast Beer Festival returns for our 27th year on September 8th, 2023 at Seville Quarter in Pensacola, Florida. There are 50+ microbreweries present and another 50-100 represented by their distributors. In addition to the microbreweries, there are generally 10+ homebrew clubs providing beer.

Online ticket prices start at $35.

September 9 Founder’s Day St. Augustine

Pedro Menendez and his troops landed in St. Augustine on September 8, 1565, and the city celebrates each year with a Founder’s Day Commemoration. For the 458th anniversary, the observance is on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Activities start at 10:00 a.m. at the Mission Nombre de Dios and continue at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, concluding at 5:00 p.m.

Admission to Nombre de Dios is free.

Admission to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is $19.95 for adults and is free on Founder’s Day for residents of St. Johns County with valid ID.

September 9-10 I Like it Hot Festival Largo

The Largest Hot Sauce & Taco Festival in Florida!

Amateur hot sauce competition, amateur bbq sauce competition, amateur salsa competition, jalepeno eating contest, live music, food vendors, and more.

Worldwide Hot Sauce Cookbook--click to order — Click **THIS LINK** or the photo to order your copy of The Worldwide Hot Sauce Cookbook! 150 recipes from all over the world selected for true hot sauce fans.

September 15 & 16 Florida Fin Fest Jacksonville Beach

Florida Fin Fest is a FREE two-day Ocean Conservation, Education, and Music Festival happening in Jacksonville Beach, FL on September 15th & 16th, benefiting OCEARCH.

Education, music, food trucks, and more.

September 16-17 Jax Taco Fest Jacksonville

Mucho fun, tacos, and beer!

Get ready for an action-packed day filled with a variety of tacos, margaritas, delicious churros, guacamole, elotes, live entertainment, KIDS ZONE and Other Taco themed activities! Plus upgrade your admission to VIP to get access to the Restricted VIP Area with hard drinks and margaritas for purchase.

September 16 SWFL SteamCon Cape Coral

SWFL SteamCon is a small-scale Steampunk & Fantasy convention in Fort Myers, FL featuring authors & craft makers, steampunk themed activities, costume contests, live music and more! Attendees are encouraged to dress up and have fun. This is a family friendly event, fun for all ages!

September 22 Orlando Salsa Festival Orlando/Amway Center

Get ready for the ultimate salsa extravaganza! The Orlando Salsa Festival is coming to Amway Center on September 22, featuring the legendary Willie Colón and El Gran Combo! Prepare to dance the night away to the electrifying rhythms of salsa and experience a once-in-a-lifetime concert event. Tickets are on sale now!

CLICK HERE to find tickets at the best prices.

Sip mojitos and enjoy tasty bites while learning to dance Salsa and Bachata in Miami. After the Salsa experience guests ages 21 and over are invited stay for the nightclub and enjoy live music, tropical performances, and dancing all night. This is a fun activity for singles, couples and groups and perfect for celebrating your birthday, anniversary, bachelorette party or vacation. Click the photo for details and to purchase — Sip mojitos and enjoy tasty bites while learning to dance Salsa and Bachata in Miami. After the Salsa experience guests ages 21 and over are invited stay for the nightclub and enjoy live music, tropical performances, and dancing all night. This is a fun activity for singles, couples and groups and perfect for celebrating your birthday, anniversary, bachelorette party or vacation. **CLICK HERE** or the on the image for information and to book your incredible night out in MIAMI!

September 29-October 1 Pensacola Seafood Festival Pensacola

This free festival takes place in downtown Pensacola. THIS IS NOT A PET FRIENDLY EVENT!

Arts and crafts, commercial vendors, food vendors, and food trucks will all have items available for purchase. REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A PET FRIENDLY EVENT!

September 29-October 1 St. Augustine Songwriters Festival St. Augustine

Get ready to immerse yourselves in a musical extravaganza at the St. Augustine Songwriters Festival. Picture yourself amid captivating performances, where top-notch hitmakers come together to unravel the untold stories and inspirations behind their sensational chart-toppers. From heartwarming anecdotes to unexpected twists, this festival is a treasure trove of secrets that will leave you enchanted and craving for more.

September 30 Lake Nona VegFest Lake Nona

Plant-Based + Wellness Festival where you can enjoy food, drinks, free fitness and yoga classes and more

This completely vegan festival will have over 60 vegan vendors including local businesses and special guests from out of town. You can expect live music, speakers, dance classes, yoga classes and other entertainment all free.

This is a family and pet friendly event where all are welcome.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.

The Best in Florida Festivals and Events August 2023

Florida hosts some amazing events and festivals. Each month I hope to take a look at a dozen or so of these in hopes of bringing you fun, exciting, and unexpected ways to enjoy our state.

Posts are listed in date order.

August 3 New Smyrna Beach Shrimp and Seafood Festival New Smyrna Beach

The best restaurants in New Smyrna Beach will be offering sample size portions priced at an economical $5-$8 each, allowing you to try all your favorites. No admission fees.

August 4^th-6^th DanceAfrica Miami Miami

Includes West African dance and drum instruction, concerts, food trucks, a kid’s village and more. Performers from Senegal, Haiti, Congo, and more are anticipated to participate.

August 4^th-6^th Jurassic Quest Daytona Beach

The largest and most realistic Dinosaur Exhibit on tour, featuring true-to-detail (and size!) dinosaurs, including a 60 foot long, sky-scraping Spinosaurus, the 80-foot-long Apatosaurus, and the gigantic LIFESIZE T. Rex.

August 10^th-13^th 26^th Annual Key West Lobsterfest Key West

Seafood lovers can chow down on Florida’s clawless lobster during a tasty “feast-ival” with a savory and packed schedule of events ranging from a traditional lobster boil to special dinners, and a lively street fair. The flavorful festivities celebrate the bounty of the Florida Keys lobster season that opens Aug. 6.

August 11-12 Fernandina Beach Kingfish Tournament and Fishing Rodeo

With many of North Florida’s big fishing contests held in June and July, Fernandina’s annual family-friendly event also includes an inshore fishing contest. The Kingfish division pays out $10,000 for first place, the inshore Fishing Rodeo pays out for four species: flounder, sea trout, redfish and sheepshead. There are also contests for female and junior anglers.

August 12 16^th Annual Parade & Commemoration of the 2^nd Seminole War St. Augustine

From 9 a.m.-2 p.m., the Florida National Guard will host the 16th annual Parade & Ceremony commemorating the end of the 2nd Seminole War and those who perished. Free and open to the public, at 10:45 a.m. historians will march to the National Cemetery where the commemoration ceremony will take place at the pyramids and Dade Monument.

August 19 Plaid in the Park Mount Dora

Mount Dora’s beautiful Sunset Park transforms into a scene of Celtic revelry as bagpipe bands, drummers and dancers celebrate the city’s Scottish heritage. Don your kilts and tartans and head downtown for an evening of entertainment, vendors selling teas, jams, pastries and gifts, and other food and drinks for sale. It’s a great way to experience this cute Florida small town and feel immersed in a faraway culture while also supporting small businesses in the downtown district.

August 19^th-20^th Central Florida Home Expo Orlando

The Central Florida Home Expo features exhibitors with fabulous ideas for consumers. At this show you’ll find the latest in products and services for home improvement. Visitors meet with professionals to make your next remodeling, renovation, landscaping, patio, or decorating project a big success. Free admission.

August 26 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Daytona Beach

The regular season finale before the Chase for the Cup starts, provides that last chance for drivers to qualify for the biggest prize in NASCAR.

Click the link to get your Coke Zero 400 tickets — Get your Coke Zero Sugar 400 tickets now at the best prices. Click the photo or **THIS LINK.**

August 26 FAMU Florida Grape Harvest Festival Tallahassee

Celebrate family, food, fun, and agricultural discovery in recognition of FAMU’s role as a national leader in viticulture research. Featured activities include the vineyards trailer ride, grape and wine sampling, popular grape stomping contest, water slides, a grape throwing competition, a hula hoop competition, live entertainment, fun vineyard run and walk-a-thon (MAP), grape picking, a health fair, and more than 60 community exhibitors and vendors.

August 26 12^th Annual Greater St. Pete Cupcake Contest St. Petersburg

The Morean Arts Center invites you to our city-wide search for St. Petersburg’s BEST CUPCAKE!

The contest will be hosted at the Morean Center for Clay located in the Warehouse Arts District at 420 22nd Street South.

August 26 Tallahassee Beer Festival Tallahassee

General Admission: GA grants you access to the two main sample rooms. And by rooms we mean the entire arena and exhibit space at the Tuck. Beer is everywhere. Soft drinks and water are available for free. Food available for purchase.

August 31-September 4 Key West Brewfest Key West

Brewfest is a multi-day festival hosted by Southernmost Beach Resort! It includes beer pairing dinners, pool parties, tap takeovers, and culminates with a signature tasting event with over 150 beers available for tasting. Events take place at many restaurants, hotels, and bars around town making Brewfest a great way to experience Key West!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission does not affect any price that you pay. All views and opinions provided are my own and are never influenced by affiliate programs or sponsors providing products.

Tag: St. Augustine

September 2023 The Best Events and Festivals in Florida