Happy New Year, Jax! 🎉 Hope 2026 is off to a great start.
Quick heads up: this cold snap is NOT playing around 🥶
In this issue:
🏙️ Downtown Jax: what’s next in 2026
🎄 How to recycle/ditch your real Christmas tree
🏡 Zillow Daydream of the Week (aka: pretend we’re rich for 30 seconds)
🎉 Weekend events for Sat + Sun
Downtown Jax: “What’s next in 2026?”
Downtown feels like it’s finally building some real momentum. More people are living down there (around 9,000 residents right now), and the goal I keep hearing is 20,000. That’s the kind of shift that turns Downtown into a place you actually go, not just drive through. Or one can hope!
A big part of that is the riverfront. Riverfront Plaza (the old Landing site) opened Phase 1 on Dec. 5, 2025, and it already feels like an upgrade—new play areas, a pavilion space, and a better Riverwalk vibe. And it’s not done yet. Phase 2 is underway, with plans like a water feature, beer garden (I am a big fan of this), and big civic steps, and the target finish I’ve seen is end of 2027.
The biggest “watch this in 2026” item, though, is UF’s graduate campus in LaVilla. Reporting says first classes are planned for Fall 2026, which could bring steady daily foot traffic downtown—students, staff, and all the little businesses that pop up around them.
Why it matters: more residents + better riverfront spots + people coming downtown every day = more reasons to actually spend time downtown.
🎄 How to recycle/ditch your real Christmas tree in Jacksonville
Alright—if your real tree is starting to look sad (and it’s dropping needles like crazy), here are the two easiest ways to get rid of it in the City of Jacksonville.
Option 1: Curbside pickup (most people)
This is basically “yard waste rules”:
Take off all decorations (lights, tinsel, ornaments) and remove the stand
Put the tree at the curb (not in your city cart)
Set it out by 6 a.m. on your normal yard-waste day (yard waste is picked up weekly)
New Year’s Day doesn’t change collection, so your normal schedule still applies
Not sure what day you’re on? Use the City’s collection schedule lookup.
Option 2: Drop-off (if curbside isn’t an option)
You can take it to the City landfill:
Trail Ridge Landfill
5110 U.S. Hwy 301 S, Baldwin
Mon–Fri: 6am–7pm
Sat: 6am–1pm
Sun: Closed
Phone: (904) 748-6015
Quick note for apartments/condos
If you live in a multi-family complex, the City usually doesn’t provide trash service there (most places use private dumpsters/haulers), so your best bet is to follow your property’s tree disposal instructions.
🏡 Zillow Daydream of the Week
If you’ve got $4 million burning a hole in your pocket (or you just want to escape reality for 30 seconds), go peek at this modern riverfront estate on the St. Johns River.
Built in 2019, it’s a 3 bed / 3.5 bath main house on one private acre, with huge glass walls facing the water, 16-ft ceilings, a sleek linear fireplace, and a chef’s kitchen with Sub-Zero + Wolf.
Then the backyard goes full resort mode: heated pool + spa, a deepwater dock with a bar, and an outdoor fireplace. Oh—and there’s a guest house with two suites (media lounge + gym/bedroom wing).
This is the kind of place you click, zoom in, and immediately start planning your “new life” 😅
🎉 Weekend Events (Sat Jan 3 + Sun Jan 4)
Saturday, Jan 3
🛍️ Riverside Arts Market (RAM) — 10am–3pm — Under the Fuller Warren Bridge — Free
🥬 Beaches Green Market — 10am–2pm — Penman Park (Jax Beach) — Free
🖼️ Cummer Museum: Free First Saturday — 10am–4pm — Riverside — Free admission
🏒 Jacksonville Icemen vs. Greenville Swamp Rabbits — 7:00pm — VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
🎤 Elvis Birthday Bash (Florida Theatre) — 7:00pm — Downtown
🎼 Jacksonville Symphony: Organ Chamber Music — 7:30pm — Jacoby Symphony Hall
🧺 Jacksonville Farmers Market — 7am–5pm — Beaver St (Downtown)
Sunday, Jan 4
🏈 Jaguars vs. Titans — 1:00pm — EverBank Stadium
🧺 Jacksonville Farmers Market — 9am–4pm — Beaver St (Downtown)
🦁 Zoo: Colors of the Wild — Last weekend — Jacksonville Zoo (evening lantern event)
Worth the short drive (St. Augustine)
🎪 Venardos Circus — Runs through Jan 4 — St. Augustine Amphitheatre
💥 Historic Weapons Demonstrations — Sat & Sun — Castillo de San Marcos
✨ Nights of Lights — Still up this weekend — Historic Downtown St. Augustine
🧺 St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market — 8:30am–12:30pm — Free