Amelia Island’s Spring Events & Festivals 2014

Amelia Island’s top two tourism events happen in the spring season — the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in March, and Fernandina’s Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival in May. Other spring events include the Amelia Island Garden Show, a nature-focused festival “Wild Amelia”, and the Chamber Music Festival.

Events Listing: Amelia Island, Florida’s Spring Season 2014

Fernandina's Centre Street Crowds During Shrimp Festival
Fernandina’s Centre Street Crowds During Shrimp Festival
Amelia Island’s top two tourism events (attracting the most visitors each year) happen in the spring season — the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in March, and Fernandina’s Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival in May.

Other spring events include the Amelia Island Garden Show, a nature-focused festival, Wild Amelia, and the Chamber Music Festival.

Here’s a quick look at each event with links to further information.

1936 Dusenberg SJN Wins Top Award at 2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
1936 Dusenberg SJN Wins Top Award at Last Year’s Amelia Island Concours

Mar. 7-9, 2014

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. The posh event of the year on this northeast Florida resort barrier island is the Concours d’Elegance. You can experience one of the most amazing auto events in the world by visiting Amelia Island for this unique showcase of extraordinary vehicles. The lush green golf fairways (at Golf Club of Amelia) are lined with millions of dollars worth of gleaming, glitzy collector automobiles, dubbed the “Field of Dreams.”  Whether you like speed, flash or elegance, around 250 rare vehicles are showcased on Amelia Island. There are dinners, road tours, seminars, auto auctions, a silent auction for charity, and more. Read related article, a recap of last year’s event with photo gallery, “COLLECTOR AUTOS WORTH $55 MILLION SOLD IN 2 DAYS ON AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA.” The main Sunday show is March 9, 2014, visit the Amelia Island Concours website for full schedule of this year’s events.

April 12, 2014


Katie Ride For Life — Annual Katie Ride for Life, a cycling event starts and finishes on beautiful Amelia Island, Florida. Wonderful event to help raise awareness and funds for organ donation, cycling through Northeast Florida. Biking distances of 7, 18, 36, 62 or 100 miles to choose from, a fully-supported cycling event for riders of all levels. Course is flat and scenic, taking riders along the many islands and waterways. There’s also a 5K or 10K walk for non-cyclists wishing to participate.

April 19-20, 2014

Amelia Island Garden Show. Annual garden show at Central Park on Atlantic Avenue in Fernandina Beach, Florida. More than 50 vendors (growers and nurseries from around the state) offer a large selection including: flowers, plants, fruit trees, palms, orchids, herbs, container gardens, native plants, butterfly-friendly plants, shrubs, garden accessories and more. Experts will provide info on “greening” your home, yard, and garden. “The Raptor Experience,” with live birds of prey will also be featured. See more at Amelia Island Garden Show website.

Sunset Shrimp Boat Docked Near Fernandina Harbor Marina
Sunset Shrimp Boat Docked Near Fernandina Harbor Marina

May 2-4, 2014

Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival. This annual event held in Fernandina Beach (the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry in America), is always celebrated the first weekend in May each year. The Shrimp Festival dates in 2014 are May 2-4th, with the Shrimp Festival Parade on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 6 pm in downtown Fernandina Beach.

The biggest tourism event of the year, the Isle of 8 Flags Shrimp Festival attracts over 100,000 visitors. This is a fantastic art event with over 300 juried art and craftsmen exhibiting (Saturday and Sunday), live bands at the riverfront, Shrimp Festival parade, Friday night fireworks and pirate invasion by sea into the Fernandina harbour, food (shrimp, shrimp, and more shrimp), kids/family fun zone and more. Learn lots more about the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, read in-depth article.

May 16-18, 2014

Wild Amelia Nature Festival (904-251-0016). Held in May each year, Wild Amelia celebrates the local bioregion and includes nature tours led by area naturalists and Florida State Park Rangers, nature photography workshops, a green business Expo, a Kids Niche, plus live music and critters. If you appreciate nature and love the outdoors, plan to attend some of the educational and family-friendly activities. Every year the nature festival selects a different local critter to highlight and this year it’s the Manatee. Previous honorees were “the Horseshoe Crab, Alligator, Painted Bunting, Gopher Tortoise, Northern Right Whale and Egret.” Visit the Wild Amelia Nature Festival’s website for full schedule of events, seminars and more at www.WildAmelia.com

May 2014

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend some concerts of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival in previous years, don’t miss your chance this year! You need not travel to New York or Europe to hear some of the world’s most accomplished musicians. An extraordinary experience presents itself right here in small-town Fernandina Beach to hear classical music at the very highest level. For those unfamiliar with the Chamber Music Festival, the concept is to bring chamber music into intimate and historic settings on Amelia Island, bringing the music to the people -– those who may normally not attend the symphony. For more information about various dates and venues, visit the Chamber Musical Festival’s website at www.aicmf.com , or call 904-261-1779.