Fall Is the Time for Community Events

Amilia Island Jazz Festival

As summer fades into fall, local events return. Here is a sampling from the Amelia Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. Click on the links for more details of events that catch your eye.

The second annual Island Hop Craft Beer Fest (Sept. 30-Oct. 2) will be held at Central Park in Fernandina Beach, with live music, food trucks, merchandise, and a collection of outstanding breweries from the North Florida region. Nassau County brewers attending include First Love Brewing, Amelia Island Brewing Company, Mocama Beer Company, Disco Witch Brewing, and SJ Brewing Company.

Now in its 19th year, the Amelia Island Jazz Fest (Oct. 2-9) gives audiences performances celebrating the spirit and many styles of jazz, including swing, bebop, Dixieland, big band, Latin and contemporary. The festival showcases musicians performing on stages at unique venues around the island, including a Jazz and Wine Tasting, a Dixie to Swing Jazz Brunch, and more.

Be a kid again at the Northeast Florida Fair (Oct. 13-23), held in Callahan. Enjoy thrill rides, games, candied apples, cotton candy, live music, hundreds of livestock entrants, and all the things that go along with a small town fair.

The annual Right Whale Festival (Nov. 5-6) highlights the critical state of North Atlantic right whales and local efforts to protect the species from extinction. The free family-friendly event also celebrates the return of the whales to Amelia Island’s coast as calving season begins. Festival guests can enjoy ocean-themed activities and educational exhibits, live music, food trucks, art and crafts, water recreation displays and more while learning about the endangered right whale.

The annual ZOOMA Amelia Island (Oct. 14-16) is the most popular race in the ZOOMA Women’s Race series and has been voted a Top 20 Half Marathon by BibRave for five years in a row. The event includes a half marathon, 12K, lighthouse loop, and a Seaside Challenge through historic downtown and Fort Clinch. The full itinerary of fun events includes two days of running, an expo, and sunrise yoga on the oceanfront lawn of the Ritz-Carlton.