Editing Jacksonville, Florida (section)

===Leisure and entertainment===

{{See also|List of attractions and events in Jacksonville, Florida}}
[[File:Gator Bowl Jacksonville Florida 1961.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gator Bowl Stadium]], now [[EverBank Stadium|Everbank Stadium]], where the annual [[Gator Bowl]] has taken place since 1946]]
Throughout the year, many annual events of various types are held in Jacksonville. In sports, the annual [[Gate River Run]] has been held annually since March 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news4jax.com/sports/7905330/detail.html |title=March 11, 2006–10,000 Participate; Keflezighi Wins Gate River Run |publisher=News4Jax.com |date=March 11, 2006 |access-date=July 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129202435/http://www.news4jax.com/sports/7905330/detail.html |archive-date=January 29, 2009 }}</ref> It has been the U.S. National {{convert|15|km|mi|adj=|abbr=|sp=us}} [[road running|road race]] Championship since 1994 and is the largest race of its distance in the country with over 13,000 runners, spectators, and volunteers, making it Jacksonville's largest participation sporting event.<ref name="MSNBC">{{Cite web |last= |title=WJXT-TV, March 15, 2009-15K Take To Streets in 15K River |url=http://roovet.com/WJXT-TV--March-15--2009-15K-Take-To-Streets-in-15K-River|publisher=Roovet.com |date=March 18, 2017 |access-date=May 12, 2019}}</ref> In college football, the [[Gator Bowl]] is held on or around New Year's Day each year. It has been continuously held since 1946. Also, the [[Florida–Georgia game]] (also known as the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"), the annual [[college football]] game between the rival [[Florida Gators football|Florida Gators]] and [[Georgia Bulldogs football|Georgia Bulldogs]] has been held in Jacksonville almost yearly since 1933. For six days in July the [[Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament]] is held for fishermen of all skills. With $500,000 of prizes up for grabs, up to 1000 boats participate with almost 30,000 spectators watching. Jacksonville is also home of [[River City Pride]] which is Northeast Florida's largest Gay Pride parade. The parade and festivities usually take place over the course of the weekend, usually the first or second weekend in October in Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood. The first pride parade was held in 1978.

A number of cultural events are also held in Jacksonville. The [[Jacksonville Jazz Festival]], held downtown, is the second largest [[jazz]] festival in the nation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.superpages.com/cities/Jacksonville-FL.html |title=Superpages Travel reviews |publisher=Superpages.com |date=June 22, 2009 |access-date=July 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131173508/http://www.superpages.com/cities/Jacksonville-FL.html |archive-date=January 31, 2008 }}</ref> while ''[[Springing the Blues]]'', one of the oldest and largest [[blues]] festivals, has been held in [[Jacksonville Beach, Florida|Jacksonville Beach]] since 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blues.org/#ref=links_links |title=''The Blues Foundation's List of Festivals'' |publisher=Blues.org |access-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026014126/https://blues.org/ |archive-date=October 26, 2010 }}</ref> The [[World of Nations Celebration]] has been held in [[Metropolitan Park (Florida)|Metropolitan Park]] since 1993, and features a number of events, food and souvenirs from various countries.

[[File:Hemming Plaza2.JPG|thumb|upright|right|[[Hemming Park]] hosts a variety of cultural events throughout the year.]]

The Art Walk, a monthly outdoor art festival formerly on the first Wednesday of each month, was sponsored by Downtown Vision, Inc, an organization which works to promote artistic talent and venues on the First Coast. This Art Walk - renowned and attracted many art lovers and traditional artists alike participating from New York City and Los Angeles, California, used to be held at Hemming Plaza (now James Weldon Johnson Park) prior to 2017 before it was reduced in size and character, resembling somewhat like Central Park in New York City, and is now selectively held at MOCA at UNF indoors, in downtown Jacksonville after 2017.

Jacksonville is home to many breweries and a growing number of distilleries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jaxbrews.com/jacksonville-bars/jacksonville-breweries/|title=Best Breweries in Jacksonville, Florida – Jax Brews|date=March 5, 2018|access-date=March 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310210820/http://jaxbrews.com/jacksonville-bars/jacksonville-breweries/|archive-date=March 10, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other events include the [[Blessing of the Fleet]] held in March since 1985 and the [[Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair]] in November at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds and Exposition Center featuring games, rides, food, entertainment and livestock exhibition. [[Riverside Arts Market (RAM)]], an outdoor arts-and-crafts market on the Riverwalk, occurs every Saturday under the canopy of the Fuller Warren Bridge. Holiday celebrations include the Freedom, Fanfare & Fireworks celebration on [[Independence Day (United States)|July 4]], the lighting of Jacksonville's official [[Christmas tree]] at the [[James Weldon Johnson Park]]<ref>{{cite web |title=2024 Jacksonville Christmas tree lighting guide |url=https://jacksonville.com/storyentertainment%2Fholiday%2Fchristmas%2F2024%2F12%2F03%2F2024-jacksonville-christmas-tree-lighting-guide%2F7674|website=Jacksonville.com |publisher=Florida Times Union |access-date=15 February 2025}}</ref> on the day after [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] and the Jacksonville Light Parade of boats the following day.

[[Image:Vystar Veterans 2023.jpg|thumb|left|260px|[[Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena]]]]
The [[VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena]], opened in 2003, is a 16,000-seat multi-purpose [[arena]] featuring live sporting events that houses the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. It is linked to Theatre Jacksonville and Players by the Sea, both non-profit theater companies, and attracts national and prominent local live theater performances. It replaced the outdated [[Jacksonville Coliseum]], built in 1960 and demolished on June 26, 2003. [[Daily's Place]] is an amphitheater adjacent to [[EverBank Field]] and regularly hosts concerts. The [[Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens]] has the second largest animal collection in the state. The zoo features elephants, lions, and [[jaguar]]s, with an exhibit, ''Range of the Jaguar'', hosted by the former owners of the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]], [[Wayne Weaver|Delores and Wayne Weaver]]. It also has a multitude of reptile houses, free flight aviaries, and many other animals.

[[Image:Dailys Jax 2023.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hot Mulligan]] performing at [[Daily's Place]]]]
[[Theatre Jacksonville]], a once prominent non-profit and for-profit theatrical production company, was organized in 1919 as the ''Little Theatre'' and is one of the oldest continually producing [[community theater]]s in the United States. [[Alhambra Dinner Theatre|Alhambra Theater & Dining]], opened in 1967 in Jacksonville as the Alhambra Dinner Theatre,<ref name="Soergel2022">{{cite news |last1=Soergel |first1=Matt |title=Out on Beach Blvd., Jacksonville's Alhambra dinner theater still entertaining after 55 years |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/history/2022/11/15/jacksonville-alhambra-dinner-theater-still-drawing-florida-crowds/8318910001/ |work=The Florida Times-Union |date=November 15, 2022}}</ref> is the oldest continually operated [[dinner theater]] in the United States.<ref name="Richards2022">{{cite news |last1=Richards |first1=Anthony |title=Alhambra founder's legacy lives on years later |url=https://pontevedrarecorder.com/stories/alhambra-founders-legacy-lives-on-years-later,18112 |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=The Ponte Vedra Recorder |date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> There are a number of other community theaters in Jacksonville, such as ''Players by the Sea'' near Jacksonville Beach,<ref name="Fletcher2015">{{cite book |last1=Fletcher |first1=Dorothy K. |title=Historic Jacksonville Theatre Palaces, Drive-ins and Movie Houses |date=2015 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-62585-294-6 |pages=70–71 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bL84CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70}}</ref> the 5 & Dime Theatre Co. in downtown Jacksonville,<ref name="Brown2021">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Will |title=Jacksonville theatre company 5 & Dime brings back live theater with locally written plays |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2021/08/19/5-and-dime-returns.html |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=www.bizjournals.com |date=August 19, 2021}}</ref> the Murray Hill Art Center was reopened in February 2012, and is operated by  the Art League of Jacksonville,<ref name="Whitehead2015">{{cite news |last1=Whitehead |first1=Christy |title=Jacksonville's Arts on the Go stops in Murray Hill |url=https://cm.jacksonville.com/offers-reg/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jacksonville.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2F2010%2F02%2F06%2Fjacksonvilles-arts-on-the-go-stops-in-murray-hill%2F15956864007%2F |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=Florida Times-Union |date=February 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410213301/https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/2010/02/06/jacksonvilles-arts-on-the-go-stops-in-murray-hill/15956864007/ |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> a nonprofit organization dedicated to arts education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://artsjax.org/|title=Art League of Jacksonville|website=artsjax.org}}</ref> The center is in the historic Murray Hill area and offers community arts classes.<ref name="Mathis2012">{{cite news |last1=Mathis |first1=Karen Brune |author1= |title=City OKs $412,000 build-out at NorthPort Logistics Center |url=https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2012/nov/16/city-oks-412000-build-out-northport-logistics-center/ |access-date=April 10, 2023 |work=Jacksonville Daily Record |date=November 16, 2012}}</ref>

Jacksonville has two fully enclosed shopping malls. The oldest is the [[Regency Square Mall (Jacksonville, Florida)|Regency Square Mall]], which opened in 1967 and is on former sand dunes in the Arlington area. The other is [[The Avenues (shopping mall)|The Avenues Mall]]. It opened in 1990 on the Southside at the intersection of I-95 and U.S. 1. There is a third indoor mall in the metropolitan area, The Orange Park Mall, but it is just outside of Jacksonville in [[Orange Park, Florida]], in [[Clay County, Florida|Clay County]].

The [[St. Johns Town Center]] opened in 2005, on the south side of Jacksonville. [[River City Marketplace]] opened in 2006, on the north side of Jacksonville. Both of these are "open-air" malls, with a mix of stores but not contained under the same roof.