St. Augustine Amphitheatre Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Construction
View of stage from section 302 (2019)
Address	1340C A1A South St. Augustine, FL 32080-5422
Location	Anastasia State Park
Owner	St. Johns County Parks & Recreation
Operator	St. Johns County Cultural Events Division
Capacity	4,092
Opened	June 27, 1965
Rebuilt	2001-07
Construction cost	$200,000 ($1.89 million in 2022 dollars )

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre, often called The Amp, is a cool outdoor place for concerts and shows. It's located in St. Augustine, Florida, right on A1A in Florida, USA. This awesome venue can hold more than 4,000 people! The St. Johns County Parks & Recreation department takes care of it.

History of The Amp
Famous Performers
Pictures of The Amp
See also

History of The Amp

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre was built in 1965. It was created to celebrate St. Augustine's 400th birthday! When it first opened, it had 2,000 seats. The land where it stands was once part of Anastasia State Park.

The amphitheatre was built in an old coquina quarry. Coquina is a type of rock made from shells. This rock was used to build many old structures in St. Augustine. One famous building made from coquina is the Castillo de San Marcos.

A famous writer named Paul Green wrote a special play for the amphitheatre. He was a Pulitzer Prize winner! The play was called Cross and Sword: A Symphonic Drama of the Spanish Settlement of Florida. It was a musical show about the first years of St. Augustine.

In 1973, the Florida Legislature made Cross and Sword the official state play. It ran for over 30 years! However, the play stopped in 1996 because of money problems.

After the play ended, the amphitheatre wasn't used very often. But from 1997 to 2003, it hosted a free summer Shakespeare Festival. In 2002, St. Johns County took over the property.

A big renovation project started in 2003. It cost about $8.7 million! The upgraded venue reopened in August 2007. It now has 4,092 seats. A cool fiberglass roof was added over the main stage. In 2019, the venue officially started calling itself "The Amp." That same year, Pollstar Magazine ranked The Amp as the #2 amphitheatre in the United States. It was also ranked #3 worldwide!