The St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier has been closed for repairs since May 13. The pier gift shop next to it is still open, and so is the four-acre beachfront park around it. The county expects the piling repairs to wrap up by the end of November 2026.
That's also when St. Augustine Beach starts its holiday season, and nearly all of it happens at 350 A1A Beach Blvd. or a few blocks from it. The calendar is still on because the events use the park, the pavilion area and the boulevard, and the county kept those open. The closure only covers the deck. What's still unknown is whether the deck reopens before the season's last big Saturday.
What's Closed Right Now
Under the county's construction notice, permitted events and activities at Ocean Pier Park "will not be impacted." That sentence explains why the holiday schedule stands. The closure does change how you get to the sand, though, and those changes stay in place until the work is done:
- North beach access is closed. According to the St. Johns County beaches page, beachgoers have to use the south entrance for the length of the project.
- Parking near the pavilion is a little tighter. The county expects minor parking impacts there and asks drivers to follow the temporary traffic signs.
- The area under the pier is restricted. During construction, the county asks surfers and swimmers to stay 500 feet from the pier. That's wider than the usual rule on the county fishing piers page, which bans swimming and surfing within 400 feet.
- The gift shop is open. It sells food, souvenirs and beach items.
The two county pages also give different answers on timing. The beaches page still says the project should finish by the end of November 2026. The fishing piers page, updated in mid-October, says the pier is closed "until further notice." As of early November, the end of the month is the county's target. No reopening day has been announced.
Why the Pilings Came First
The repairs started with a discovery in 2024. A beach renourishment project exposed support pillars at the ocean end of the pier, and county maintenance staff saw what looked like decay. On engineering advice, the county closed the last 100 feet of the pier, both on the deck and underneath it, until it got further recommendations.
On September 17, 2024, the county commission voted 5-0 to approve a $3 million funding request for the repairs. Action News Jax reported that the work could add about 20 years to the pier's life. The permits didn't come through until April 2026. WOKV reported that the county moved immediately once it had them, which is why the full closure started in mid-May and ran through summer and fall.
That history explains the timing. The holiday events take place at the pier, but they were never on the deck, which is why an end-of-November finish line can overlap the season without canceling anything.
The Season, Date by Date
Here's how each holiday date lines up with the repair schedule.
| Date | Event | Where | Where the repair schedule stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to noon | Wednesday Pier Farmers Market | Ocean Pier Park | Listed weekly during the closure |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 3:30 to 7 p.m. | Surf Illumination | St. Augustine Beach Pier, 350 A1A Beach Blvd. | About a week before the county's target date |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 1 to 6 p.m. | Light Up the Beach Art Walk | Along A1A Beach Blvd. | Final days of the target month |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 8 a.m. | Santa Suits on the Loose 5K, 14th annual | Ocean Pier | Two weeks past the target |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 3 to 7 p.m. | St. Augustine Beach Holiday Market | St. Augustine Beach Pier | Same day, afternoon |
Of the three holiday weekends, December 12 is the only one that comes after the county's target date. If the repairs finish on time, that Saturday could be the first holiday event with the pier deck open again.
November 22 Lands While the Pier Is Likely Still Closed
Visit St. Augustine bills Surf Illumination as the beach's lighting festival and the start of the holiday season. It's free and runs from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 22, at the pier. That's about a week before the end-of-November target, so unless the county gets ahead of schedule, the lighting will go on next to an active construction zone.
That affects how you get there. If you plan to walk onto the sand after dark, the north beach access is still closed, so head for the south entrance. Some of the parking near the pavilion is also affected by the repair work. For those who live close enough, walking or biking down A1A Beach Boulevard avoids the busiest spaces at what will probably be the busiest event in the park so far this season. The listing gives (904) 295-2271 for event questions.
The Saturday After Thanksgiving Moves Down the Boulevard
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year. Two days later, the season leaves the pier and spreads along the street. The Light Up the Beach Art Walk runs on A1A Beach Boulevard from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 28, with artists set up alongside participating shops and restaurants.
The boulevard has also gained a new breakfast spot since the last holiday season. The St. Augustine Record reported that First Watch would open in Anastasia Plaza at 1081 A1A Beach Blvd. on June 8, 2026, in a space with a covered patio and an interior bar. The St. Johns Citizen covered the grand opening and listed daily hours of 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. That makes it a breakfast or early lunch stop before the art walk, since the kitchen closes about halfway through the afternoon.
If you'd rather eat later in the day by the water, the Record's March 2026 profile of Crabby's Beachside says it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with ocean-view indoor and outdoor seating and live entertainment.
December 12 Is the Long Day at the Pier
The busiest Saturday of the season is December 12, with two events at the pier on the same day:
- 8 a.m. The 14th annual Santa Suits on the Loose 5K starts at the Ocean Pier.
- 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. First Watch at Anastasia Plaza is open for its regular hours, so post-race breakfast fits inside the gap.
- 3 to 7 p.m. The St. Augustine Beach Holiday Market fills the pier area with local arts and crafts, food vendors and food trucks.
If the county finishes by the end of November as planned, the market could be the first holiday event in more than half a year with the pier deck open beside it. If the fishing piers page still says "until further notice" that week, the market goes ahead in the park as scheduled. It's worth checking the county page the morning of the 12th before you decide how to spend the hours between the race and the market.
Wednesdays Stay on the Calendar
The county lists the farmers market every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon and points shoppers to wednesdaypierfarmersmarket.com for details. The Florida's Historic Coast calendar shows Wednesday market dates running into December. The county's construction notice said from the start that permitted park activities would not be affected, which is why the market's Wednesday slot has stayed on the schedule next to the closed deck. The market's site and email, [email protected], are the best places to confirm a particular week.
Between now and Surf Illumination there are two more Wednesday markets, on November 11 and November 18. The south entrance and the pavilion signs apply on those mornings too.
The Dana Hancock Team has spent decades on this stretch of coast, and we follow the county's pier updates as closely as our neighbors do. If you'd like to talk through what the reopening and a busy holiday season mean for your street, or if you're getting ready to sell in a neighborhood that runs on its beach calendar, Dana Hancock and our team are glad to help. Work With Us, and we'll keep you posted when the pier deck reopens.