Palencia's Fall Calendar Starts at the Market Street Fountain

Where does a Palencia autumn start? This year it starts on a Sunday afternoon, Oct. 11, at the fountain on Market Street. A group of women in witch hats will check in there with bikes, golf carts and bags of candy.

The rest of the season runs through the same handful of places: Market Street, the Amenity Center on Palencia Club Drive, and residents' front yards. The Palencia Club has a new owner, and it shows up on this open calendar once, at the end of the witches' route. The dates below follow that thread from October into December.

October 11 Begins at the Fountain

The Palencia Flight of Witches Ride is a women-only charity Halloween ride through the neighborhood on bikes and golf carts. Dreams Come True lists it as a community event put together by individuals in St. Johns County, with the money going toward the cost of local children's dreams. Registration is $45, and the organizers ask riders to dress in their best witch wear and bring a bag of candy to share.

The event listing gives the timing:

1. Witches check in at 4 p.m.
2. The ride begins at 5:30 p.m.
3. The after-ride party starts at 6:15 p.m.

The route goes from south to north as a loop and finishes back on Market Street. Along the way, "Candy Drop Zones" give children a place to stand and catch the candy the riders throw. The after-party is at the Palencia Club clubhouse, with a DJ, games and prizes. The calendar link on the listing puts the ride on Oct. 11, 2026, from 4 to 8 p.m., at 600 Palencia Club Drive. Updates go out on the ride's official Palencia Witches Facebook and Instagram pages.

If you live along the loop but aren't riding, Oct. 11 is the evening to have children at the curb by about 5:30.

The Rest of October Runs on the Community Calendar

After the ride, most of the month's dated events come from the community calendar on Palencia Online. That calendar also lists the regular fitness classes at the resident Amenity Center. Here is what's posted for the rest of October:

• Tuesday, Oct. 13, 5 to 7 p.m. The Chick-fil-A food truck parks at the MCCDD Amenity Center, 625 Palencia Club Drive. The listing says it returns on the second Tuesday of every month.
• Friday, Oct. 23, 5 to 9 p.m. The Palencia Harvest Moon Hullaballo, billed as the fall festival. Denise Powers is listed as organizer, and the page says more details will come in the October newsletter and in emails closer to the date.
• Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Palencia Community Blood Drive and Shred Truck, with Market Street in the event title.
• Week of Oct. 26. Judging week for the Halloween House Decorating Competition. The exact judging date and registration details are still to be posted.

The Harvest Moon listing doesn't name a venue yet. Last year's festival gives the best hint. The December 2025 Palencia Press reported that the annual Palencia Fall Festival filled Market Street with hayrides, food, vendors and entertainment. It also had costumed characters, including Spiderman, Disney princesses and villains, plus live music, acrobats and magicians. That was 2025. Whether the 2026 festival uses the same street will be clear once the October newsletter comes out.

Each of these events uses a shared space or a front lawn. The food truck parks at the Amenity Center. The blood drive is set for Market Street. The Halloween judging happens street by street, house by house.

Where the Palencia Club Fits This Fall

The clubhouse at the end of the witches' route has changed hands since last Halloween. On Oct. 28, 2025, Jacksonville-based Hampton Golf sold three private clubs to Heritage Golf Group of Herndon, Virginia, for a total of $45.5 million. The Palencia Club at 600 Palencia Club Drive went for $19.5 million, according to the St. Johns County Clerk of the Courts as reported by the Jax Daily Record. The property has an 18-hole Arthur Hills course and a three-story, 33,000-square-foot clubhouse with dining areas and event spaces.

The club describes itself as private, and its dining and events are part of membership. Nearly a year after the sale, the club's Capital Improvements page says it is "in an active phase of renewal." It adds that "more detailed plans will be announced as they take shape," shaped through ongoing evaluation and member feedback. No specific project, golf course work or timeline has been published.

So on the public fall calendar, the clubhouse appears once, as the room where a resident-organized charity ride ends. Everything else on the season's schedule happens at the Amenity Center, on Market Street, or on residents' own streets.

November and December Are Still Being Filled In

The later dates are set, and the details are coming in slowly.

Friday, Nov. 6, 7 to 10 p.m. Palencia Online lists a rescheduled concert by Top Shelf. The image file on the event page points to a Market Street concert, but the page itself doesn't name a venue or organizer yet.

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 5 p.m. The Chick-fil-A food truck makes its usual second-Tuesday stop.

Saturday, Dec. 5, 3 to 7 p.m. The Palencia Winter Festival is on the calendar, with no description posted so far.

Last December's Palencia Press shows what usually fills the rest of the month. Its Night of Lights holiday lighting contest had four categories: Traditional, Griswold, Rockin' and Best of Show. Registration closed Dec. 12 in 2025, and Hila Stalcup was the contact. The same issue pointed families to the two "Letters To Santa Mailboxes," one at the Amenity Center's tennis center and one at its fitness center. Envelopes carrying a child's name and address got a reply. It also reported a free Santa visit, with hot cocoa and crafts, at The Tooth Cottage, 250 Paseo Reyes Drive. None of those 2026 versions had been announced as of early October. They're last year's pattern, not this year's schedule.

Between Events on Market Street

Market Street gained a new reason to linger last winter. No Shelf Control, an independent bookstore at 701 Market Street, Suite 104A, opened in Palencia in late 2025. The St. Augustine Record described owner Tally Fischer's shop as a cozy, comfortable place to read the latest title or a beloved classic. The store's own site says it is open. Its posted hours have varied between sources, so check before a festival-night visit. A few doors along, Jill Stonier Beauty Studio at 591 Market Street takes bookings for makeup, facials and tanning. That could be handy before a costume night or a holiday party.

Out at the Shoppes at Palencia Commons, the Publix-anchored center on US-1, two newer stops sit on the way home from an evening event. Jersey Mike's Subs held its grand opening at 120 Palencia Village Drive on Dec. 4, 2025. Fuse Frozen Co. announced a location at 7474 U.S. Highway 1, Suite 102, aiming for a February 2026 opening. The company now lists a St. Augustine Palencia Commons location with flavors available.

Put together, a resident with nothing but a bike can cover most of this season. The Oct. 11 start is at the fountain, the Oct. 24 blood drive is on Market Street, the food truck parks at 625 Palencia Club Drive, and the bookstore at 701 Market Street is open between events. The October newsletter should fill in the Harvest Moon venue, and the Winter Festival program should follow.

Julie Little has followed Palencia through many fall seasons and more than one ownership change at the club. If you're thinking about what your home is worth while the neighborhood is out on its streets this fall, Julie Little Brewer can help. Request Your Complimentary Home Valuation.