St. Augustine Amphitheatre

{{Infobox venue

|name = St. Augustine Amphitheatre

|image = StAugustineAmphitheatreLogo.jpg

|image_size = 250px

|caption =

|address = 1340C A1A South
St. Augustine, FL 32080-5422

|location = Anastasia State Park

|city =

|country =

|designation =

|coordinates =

|architect =

|owner = St. Johns County Parks & Recreation

|operator = St. Johns County Cultural Events Division

|capacity = 4,092

|type =

|opened = June 27, 1965

|cost = $200,000
(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|200000|1964}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})

|rebuilt = 2001-07

|closed =

|othernames =

|currentuse =

|website = {{URL|https://www.theamp.com/|Venue Website}}

}}

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre (shortened as The Amp) is an outdoor amphitheater located on A1A in St. Augustine, Florida, United States. The venue seats over 4,000 persons, and is managed by the St. Johns County Parks & Recreation department.{{cite web |url=http://www.eujacksonville.com/pages/08-30-07/staugustineamphitheatre.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130122164732/http://www.eujacksonville.com/pages/08-30-07/staugustineamphitheatre.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 22, 2013 |title=everything old is new again |access-date=September 7, 2008 |last1=Bosworth|first1=Jon |date=August 30, 2007|website=Entertaining U Newspaper |publisher=N2U Publishing, Inc.}}

History

The amphitheatre was built in 1965 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, originally with 2,000 seats.{{cite web |url=http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Music/entMUS01082108.htm |title=Amped at the amphitheatre |access-date=September 7, 2008 |last1=de Yampert|first1=Rick |date=August 21, 2008|website=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |publisher=News-Journal Corporation}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} land was originally part of Anastasia State Park. The amphitheatre itself was constructed in one of the old coquina quarries used to supply building materials for St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos.{{cite book |title=Birding Florida: Over 200 Prime Birding Sites at 54 Locations |last=Rapoza |first=Brian |year=2007 |publisher=Globe Pequot Press |isbn=9780762739141 |pages=31 }}{{cite book |last1=Nolan |first1=David |editor1-last=McCarthy |editor1-first=Kevin M.|date=1992 |title=The Book Lover's Guide to Florida |chapter=St. Augustine to Astor|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=H4xcm2ifQLQC&pg=PA79 |location=Sarasota, Florida |publisher=Pineapple Press |page=79 |isbn=978-1561640126 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/Quarry.cfm |title=Quarry Historical Site |access-date=2008-09-07 |work=Anastasia State Park |publisher=Florida Online Park Guide}}

The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paul Green was commissioned to write a play to be performed at the amphitheatre. The result was Cross and Sword: A Symphonic Drama of the Spanish Settlement of Florida,[http://www.ibiblio.org/paulgreen/bibliography.html Paul Green Bibliography] a musical reenactment of the first years of St. Augustine's existence. Cross and Sword was designated the official state play in 1973 by the Florida Legislature.[http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/symbol.cfm?page=2&id=21 Florida State Symbols - The State Play: Cross and Sword] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607081614/http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/symbol.cfm?page=2&id=21 |date=June 7, 2008}} The play ran until 1996, when budget constraints ended its more than 30-year run.{{cite web |url=http://www.ocala.com/article/20080822/LIVING05/570971/1027&title=St__Augustine_gets_amped |title=St. Augustine gets amped |access-date=2008-09-07 |author=Reinink, Amy |date=August 22, 2008 |publisher=Ocala Star Banner}}{{cite book |title=A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida |last=Rajtar |first=Steve |author2=Kelly Goodman |year=2008 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-1-59629-336-6 |pages=52–53 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZyrHSTZUw0cC }}

The amphitheatre was used infrequently during the following years, though it did host a free summer Shakespeare Festival from 1997 to 2003.{{cite web |url=http://www.staugustine.com/stories/081602/com_915738.shtml |title=Art thou ready for 'Much Ado About Nothing'? |access-date=2008-09-07 |date=2002-08-16 |publisher=The St. Augustine Record}}{{cite web |url=http://staugustine.com/stories/111502/com_1102307.shtml |title=Atlantic Shakespeare Company to present musical fund-raiser |access-date=2008-09-07 |date=2002-11-15 |publisher=The St. Augustine Record}} In 2002, St. Johns County acquired the property and the following year began an $8.7 million renovation. The upgraded facility reopened in August 2007, which includes a fiberglass tensile canopy over the main stage.[http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/BCC/Parks_1_Recreation/Amphitheatre/Index.aspx St. Augustine Amphitheatre - St. Johns County Government Gateway] It now has 4,092 seats.{{Cite web |url=https://www.staugamphitheatre.com/p17-venue-specifications.aspx |title=Venue | St. Augustine Amphitheatre |access-date=2018-06-06 |archive-date=2018-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126180801/https://www.staugamphitheatre.com/p17-venue-specifications.aspx |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.halback.com/html/Parks.html |title=St. Augustine Amphitheatre - Halback Design Group, Inc. |access-date=2008-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019033032/http://www.halback.com/html/Parks.html |archive-date=2008-10-19 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://staugustine.com/stories/102101/opi_229105.shtml |title=Editorial: St. Augustine Amphitheatre plans reflect labor of love |access-date=2008-09-07 |date=2001-10-21 |publisher=The St. Augustine Record}} In 2019, the theater branded itself as "The Amp". Also in 2019, the Amp is ranked #2 amphitheatre in the United States and #3 worldwide according to leading concert-industry publication Pollstar Magazine's 2019 Mid-Year report.

File:St. Augustine Amphitheatre from Sec 302.jpg

Farmers market

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers' market is open Saturday mornings from 8:30am to 12:30pm throughout the year. In addition to produce and plants direct from the farm, there is fresh seafood, cheeses, baked goods, Food trucks and wares from local artists & craftspeople. Live entertainment is provided many Saturdays.{{cite web |title=Amphitheatre Farmers Market |url=https://www.visitstaugustine.com/event/st-augustine-amphitheatre-farmers-market |website=visitstaugustine.com |publisher=Visit St. Augustine |access-date=6 March 2025}}{{cite web |title=Farmers Market & Night Market |url=https://www.theamp.com/farmers-market |website=theamp.com |publisher=St. Augustine Amphitheatre |access-date=6 March 2025}}

The Night Market is open quarterly on a Tuesday evening from 5pm to 9pm. Add a full bar and live music; take away the farmer's contributions.

Noted performers

Photos

File:MCStaugustine15.jpg|Manchester Orchestra

File:BR15.jpg|Brand New

File:KDStaugustine15.jpg|Kevin Devine

File:ShinedownStAugustine02.jpg|Shinedown

File:St. Augustine Amphitheatre with sign, St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.jpg|Amphitheatre with sign

File:St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.jpg|Amphitheatre

References

Category:Amphitheaters in the United States

Category:Theatres completed in 1965

Category:Music venues in Florida

Category:Buildings and structures in St. Augustine, Florida

Category:Theatres in Florida

Category:Tourist attractions in St. Augustine, Florida

Category:1965 establishments in Florida