They're back: 22 big events look forward to in '22 in the Jacksonville area

Tom Szaroleta, Florida Times-Union
·7 min read

A lot of big events that people in Jacksonville are used to attending every year have been missing from the calendar for the last few year, thanks to the pandemic. But (fingers crossed), they're back for '22 and, hopefully, for years to come. Here are 22 events to look forward to in '22.

Art Walk returns to the downtown streets on the first Wednesday of every month.
Art Walk returns to the downtown streets on the first Wednesday of every month.

First Wednesday Art Walk/Sip & Stroll

Artwalk: 5-9 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month in downtown Jacksonville

Sip & Stroll: 5-8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month on the Southbank Riverwalk

Artists of all sorts — painters, sculptors, musicians, actors, dancer, jewelrymakers — show off their finest works in the downtown streets for the monthly Art Walk.

A new event, Sip & Stroll, made its debut in 2021. Live music and food vendors set up on the Southbank Riverwalk between the DoubleTree and Southbank hotels on the third Thursday of every month. Visitors can stroll along the Riverwalk with a drink in a branded Sip & Stroll cup.

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The DONNA Marathon will start and finish at Seawalk Pavilion in February.
The DONNA Marathon will start and finish at Seawalk Pavilion in February.

DONNA Marathon

Feb. 4-6, starting and finishing at Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach

The annual road race, which raises money to fight breast cancer, has a new weekend and a new start/finish line this year. The race was virtual last year because of the pandemic, but will return to the roads in the Beaches for '22. But it will start and finish at Seawalk Pavilion, and it's been moved forward a week to avoid a conflict with the Super Bowl.

Historical re-enactors dressed as Confederate soldiers fire on Union forces during the re-enactment of the Battle of Olustee, which is scheduled for February.
Historical re-enactors dressed as Confederate soldiers fire on Union forces during the re-enactment of the Battle of Olustee, which is scheduled for February.

Battle of Olustee Reenactment

Feb. 18-20 at Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park

In 1864, more than 10,000 Union and Confederate troops fought in Florida's largest Civil War battle in a site that is now a state park about 60 miles west of Jacksonville. Reenactors will replay the battle (spoiler alert: the rebels win) on Sunday afternoon. Authentic camps and a sutler's village where visitors can watch craftsmen ply their trade are open all weekend.

The caber toss is part of the fun when the Scottish Highland Games return to Green Cove Springs.
The caber toss is part of the fun when the Scottish Highland Games return to Green Cove Springs.

Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games & Festival

Feb. 26 at the Clay County Fairgrounds, Green Cove Springs

Where else are you going to be able to watch men in kilts throwing 22-pound hammers, 56-pound weights and enormous wooden cabers? The annual event also includes highland dance and bagpipe competitions, live music, battle ax-throwing demonstrations and a kilted golf tournament.

The World of Nations Celebration returns to downtown Jacksonville in February.
The World of Nations Celebration returns to downtown Jacksonville in February.

World of Nations Celebration

Feb. 26-27 in downtown Jacksonville

The world comes to Jacksonville every year for the World of Nations Celebration, which celebrates food, music, culture and traditions from more than 30 countries. It's part education, part food festival, part fair and part international celebration.

Some of the world's finest automobiles come to the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.
Some of the world's finest automobiles come to the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

Amelia Concours d'Elegance

March 3-6 on Amelia Island

"A motoring event like no other" returns to the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island and the Golf Club of Amelia for the 27th year, with a Cars and Coffee show for everyday drivers and the main Concours for some of the finest automobiles in the world.

Gate River Run

March 5, starting at Jacksonville Sports Complex

The 15-kilometer race, with thousands of runners dashing through downtown and San Marco and over the Hart Bridge, aka "the green monster," returns the first weekend of March. It starts just outside 121 Financial Ballpark and ends at TIAA Bank Field. A 5K charity run, challenge mile, Junior River Run and diaper dash race are also scheduled for the same day.

Circle the second weekend of March on your calendar. That's when The Players Championship returns to Ponte Vedra Beach.
Circle the second weekend of March on your calendar. That's when The Players Championship returns to Ponte Vedra Beach.

The Players Championship

March 8-13 at TPC Sawgrass

Once again, the world's best golfers play for the biggest purse in the game on one of the world's most-celebrated courses. Plans call for no capacity limits on crowd size for the 2022 Players Championship.

Monster Jam is back at TIAA Bank Field in March.
Monster Jam is back at TIAA Bank Field in March.

Monster Jam

March 19 at TIAA Bank Field

Monster Jam makes its return to TIAA Bank Field in March, with some of the biggest names in the monster truck world — Avenger, El Toro Loco, Monster Mutt, Megalodon and, of course, Grave Digger. A word to the wise: Bring your earplugs.

The Clay County Fair opens March 31 at the fairgrounds west of Green Cove Springs.
The Clay County Fair opens March 31 at the fairgrounds west of Green Cove Springs.

Clay County Fair

March 31-April 10 in Green Cove Springs

The Clay County Fair is bringing in Nelly, Quiet Riot, Lorrie Morgan, Rodney Atkins, Sublime with Rome and Shenandoah, plus the usual assortment of rides, livestock shows and food on a stick. Other area fairs include the Northeast Florida Fair in Callahan and the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair, both in the fall.

Springing the Blues comes to Seawalk Pavilion in early April.
Springing the Blues comes to Seawalk Pavilion in early April.

Springing The Blues

April 1-3 at Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach

Eric Gales, Vanessa Collier, the Lee Boys, Victor Wainwright & the Train, Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials and others bring back the blues when Springing the Blues returns to the Beaches. Three other festivals are also planned for Seawalk Pavilion: the Seawalk Music Festival, scheduled for Feb. 26-28; the Great Atlantic Southern Rock Festival on March 19; and the Beachella Music & Arts Fair on June 11.

No acts have been announced, but organizers are planning to bring the Jax River Jams concert series back to Riverfront Plaza in April.
No acts have been announced, but organizers are planning to bring the Jax River Jams concert series back to Riverfront Plaza in April.

Jax River Jams

April 7, 14, 21 and 28 at Riverfront Plaza

Last April, a new concert series made its debut on the site of the old Jacksonville Landing, pairing national headliners (Chase Rice, Newfound Glory, Quad City DJs, Sugar Ray) with local opening acts (Firewater Tent Revival, Universal Green, LPT, Honey Hounds). Downtown Vision, the organization that put the shows together, plans to do it again on Thursdays in April.

Opera returns when the Jacksonville Symphony presents "La Boheme" in late April.
Opera returns when the Jacksonville Symphony presents "La Boheme" in late April.

'La Bohème'

April 29-May 1 at the Times-Union Center

The Jacksonville Symphony brings opera back to Jacksonville in a big way. The two performances of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème” will feature seven professional opera singers, the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, UNF's Opera Ensemble, students from Jacksonville's LaVilla School of the Arts and 30-foot-tall projections.

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is scheduled to return to Fernandina Beach after a two-year absence.
The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is scheduled to return to Fernandina Beach after a two-year absence.

Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival

April 29-May 1 in Fernandina Beach

After a two-year COVID break, the Shrimp Festival takes over downtown Fernandina again for its traditional first-weekend-in-May timeslot, complete with a beard contest, live music, craft show and enough shrimp to make Forrest Gump jealous.

The Gamble Rogers Music Festival, named for the late songwriter and storyteller, is scheduled to return to St. Augustine for 2022.
The Gamble Rogers Music Festival, named for the late songwriter and storyteller, is scheduled to return to St. Augustine for 2022.

Gamble Rogers Music Festival

May 6-8 at the Colonial Oak Music Park in St. Augustine

Organizers say contracts are out for Florida and national headliners to perform at the festival, which celebrates the legacy of Florida troubadour Gamble Rogers. Rogers was a folk musician and storyteller who died in 1991 while trying to save a swimmer from drowning. A state recreation area and middle school were named in his honor and he was named to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1998.

The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is scheduled to return to its Memorial Day weekend slot in 2022.
The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is scheduled to return to its Memorial Day weekend slot in 2022.

Jacksonville Jazz Festival

May 26-29 in downtown Jacksonville

No performers have been announced, but the city confirmed in December that the jazz fest is returning to its Memorial Day weekend slot after being canceled in 2020 and postponed until fall in '21.

The Sing Out Loud Festival plays in venues throughout St. Augustine in September.
The Sing Out Loud Festival plays in venues throughout St. Augustine in September.

Sing Out Loud Festival

September in St. Augustine

St. Augustine's annual Sing Out Loud Festival brings local and national music acts to venues throughout the city every September. Organizers confirm that plans are afoot to bring the festival back this fall.

The Navy's Blue Angels have the NAS JAX Air Show on their calendar for 2022.
The Navy's Blue Angels have the NAS JAX Air Show on their calendar for 2022.

NAS JAX Air Show

Oct. 22-23 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville

There aren't a lot of details on the show's official website, but the U.S. Navy Blue Angels have the show listed on their 2022 schedule.

The Gators and the Dawgs renew their annual rivalry in October at TIAA Bank Field.
The Gators and the Dawgs renew their annual rivalry in October at TIAA Bank Field.

Florida-Georgia game

Oct. 29 at TIAA Bank Field

The Gators look for revenge against the Bulldogs in their annual River City rivalry, which always draws huge crowds to Jacksonville.

Porchfest '21 was rained out, but plans are already afoot for the festival to return in November '22.
Porchfest '21 was rained out, but plans are already afoot for the festival to return in November '22.

Porchfest

Nov. 5 in Springfield

Weather wiped out the 2021 festival, which sees dozens of musical acts performing from the front porches of historic homes. But the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council is already planning the '22 event for the weekend after the Florida-Georgia game.

The Jacksonville Light Boat Parade is traditionally held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The Jacksonville Light Boat Parade is traditionally held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Jacksonville Light Boat Parade

Date TBA on the St. Johns River, downtown Jacksonville

The traditional date for the parade is the Saturday after Thanksgiving (although it has been held in conjunction with the Gator Bowl). People line both sides of the river in the downtown area to watch dozens of lighted boats parading in the river and a whopping good fireworks show.

It's about 11 months too early to say who will play in the next TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
It's about 11 months too early to say who will play in the next TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Taxslayer Gator Bowl

Date TBA at TIAA Bank Field

Sure, the 2021 game is barely over, but it's not too early to start planning for the next one, which will be held sometime around New Year's Day. The city and the bowl organizers just extended their contract to keep the game, which dates back to 1946, in Jacksonville through 2025-26, with an eye toward landing a College Football Playoff game. No telling what teams will play, of course, but the game will match an ACC team with an SEC team.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville events: 22 things to do in 2022