Menorcan Heritage Celebration

The Menorcan Heritage Celebration 2025 marks the anniversary of the arrival of the Menorcan colonists in St. Augustine. This heritage event takes place on Saturday, March 1, 2025, from  11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and features engaging activities, traditional foods, music, and dancing.

During this one-day festival, descendants from the original Menorcans in St. Augustine will share their poems, stories, crafts, family photos, and Menorcan family crests. Highlights of the day include:

• At noon, Dr. Ann Browning Masters, St. Augustine's Menorcan Poet Laureate, will read her poem, "The St. Augustine Menorcan Litmus Test." Dr. Browning is the author of Floridanos, Menorcans, Cattle-Whip Crackers: Poetry of St. Augustine.
• Presentation of the Menorcan Heritage Award
• The members of the Easter Festival's Royal Trio will cut a special cake.
• Learn how they make mullet nets and shop for your own.
• Purchase books, datil pepper sauces and jellies, datil pepper plants, and a Menorcan meal (menu below).
• View displays and historical Information presented by The Minorcan Experience.

Menu

You can purchase several prepared Menorcan culinary specialties at the event;

• Menorcan clam chowder
• Sausage pilau
• Shrimp pilau
• Baked goods

This is the first event of a month-long celebration. Go here to learn about all the 2025 events.

Admission: Free
When: Saturday, March 1, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: The Llambias House, 31 St. Francis St., St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Menorcan History

The term "Menorcan" describes the group of Mediterranean people (about 1,400 in all) who came to British East Florida in the late 18th century to work as indentured servants on a plantation settlement in New Smyrna. Many of these were actually from the island of Minorca. Still, they were joined by many others who were from other Mediterranean towns and regions, including Greeks, Italians, Corsicans, French, and Spanish. Their first several years in Florida were harsh and their numbers decreased, but in 1777, they were granted a space to settle in the northwest section of the fledgling port town of St. Augustine. They have been an integral part of the nation's oldest city ever since.

Note: Elsewhere on our website, we use the English spelling "Minorcan," when discussing people from the island of Minorca and their descendants. The Menorcan Cultural Society prefers the Spanish spelling, and we defer to them when we discuss their society's events.