BY TIM HEDGLEY, GROUP TRAVEL EDITOR

Amelia Island, the luxury island located just off the coast in the north east of Florida, is renowned for its all-year round festivals and has an exciting programme planned for the start of 2019.

Deremer Studios Commercial Photograph – Amelia Island

Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, 7-10 March 2019

Classic car enthusiasts flock to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, which features more than 300 rare vehicles from seldom-seen private collections around the world. Now in its third decade, the event has become a centrepiece of Amelia Concours Week, featuring auctions, activities and seminars with Bonhams, Gooding & Company and Festivals of Speed.

Exciting events within the programme include a Porsche Driving Experience, the Mercedes-Benz Cocktail Reception and Gala Dinner, and Cars and Guitars which showcases historically-significant vehicles, previously or currently owned by musicians.

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, 12 performances running from January to April 2019

The 2019 season of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival (www.aicmf.com) promises to be the best in its 18-year history, featuring three superstar headliners: legendary jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his 15-member Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra on January 25; violin virtuoso Joshua Bell on February 1; and renowned pianist Emanuel Ax on March 22.

The event is entirely non-profit and sets out to promote the arts by organising free concerts over the course of several weekends. The performances explore an array of instruments and styles, exposing audience members to the beauty and diversity of chamber music.

Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, 3-5 May 2019

2019 is the 56th year of this festival held in Fernandina Beach’s historic downtown. The festival, which celebrates the island’s status as the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry, features dozens of food booths with local specialties such as shrimp pie. This family-friendly event includes a pirate parade, Miss Shrimp Festival pageant, kids’ fun zone, fireworks and live entertainment.

Wild Amelia Nature Festival, 17-19 May 2019

This three-day, family-friendly festival includes eco-tour nature encounters, as well as an eco-expo with conservation exhibitions, a touch tank and sea turtle releases in cooperation with the Georgia Sea Turtle Centre.

For more information on Amelia Island’s festivals go to: www.ameliaisland.com/Eventful-Amelia