A visitor found getting to the pirate ship at Friendship Fountain easier than expected; the route was well marked.
The marked route is one small sign of a larger change. The fountain is open. What changed is the way in. When the roundabout at the fountain disappeared into a construction site, the events that needed trucks, vendors and load-in space had to go somewhere else. The busiest evenings on the Southbank riverfront now happen at the east end of the walk, at RiversEdge.
The roundabout did more work than it looked like
Most people knew the circle at the fountain as a drop-off point. For the city's parks department, it was the loading dock. Garrett Callis, community program manager with the City of Jacksonville's parks department, said the condo and apartment project next to the fountain and marina grew its construction footprint into that space.
"As part of the condo construction that's going up, they did expand their footprint into the entry roadway roundabout area at the fountain, which is what used to be the primary access point. So with that shifting over, obviously it takes away our ability to fully utilize that space for food trucks, for emergency access, for larger equipment to load in for these events."
So large events moved. Saturday Sounds at Friendship Fountain, normally held Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m., went to other city parks along the river. Callis said the change was temporary and should last only "through early fall." Free yoga classes and running at the fountain kept going throughout. Jax Parks has asked people to follow its social media accounts for event locations, and with early fall now here, those accounts are the place to check before planning a Saturday.
The development is Southbank Residences by the Related Group. Its construction also explains a second closure nearby, covered below.
Sip & Stroll followed the access east
The clearest sign of the shift is Third Thursday Sip & Stroll, presented by PNC Bank. It still runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Starting in September, though, Downtown Vision moved the event so it runs from 1701 Prudential Drive to RiversEdge at the east end of the Southbank Riverwalk. Its event page now reads "we'll see you AT RIVERSEDGE on October 15."
Here's what is confirmed for October 15:
- Drinks: Alcohol in branded Sip & Stroll cups is allowed and sold at the Riverwalk bars. The Beverage Truck runs the bars on site.
- Food: a rotating Haskell Food Court of food trucks and vendors.
- Music and vendors: listed as TBA on the October page as of late September.
- Afterparty: a silent disco afterparty with Hush Hush on the DoubleTree Deck from 7 to 11 p.m.
Visit Jacksonville lists the rest of the fall dates as November 19 and December 17, both at 2010 Prudential Drive. That address is RiversEdge, not the fountain. The east end is now the event's home base, and the walk west toward 1701 Prudential is the stroll.
What sits at the east end now
RiversEdge: Life on the St. Johns is the $693 million mixed-use project on the former JEA Southside Generating Plant site. The plant ran from 1947 to 2001. Its four public parks opened November 24, 2025. Walking east from the existing Riverwalk, you reach:
- Central Park, a riverside event lawn with a pavilion, plaza, paths, seating and sculpture.
- Heartbeat Park, with synthetic turf, swings and interactive art.
- Healing Gardens Park, with a native-plant Discovery Path, an herb garden, a lawn and a wooded trail. The city's park directory calls it Healing Garden Park.
- The Gym, with separate playgrounds for different ages and exercise equipment for adults. A 1,500-foot Marsh Boardwalk connects it to Healing Gardens.
The City described the playground on opening day as having swings, merry-go-rounds and touch-activated games, plus a yoga lawn and winding walkways.
Central Park is still being built. In August, News4JAX reported that an outdoor public amphitheater and a restroom building were going up there, with completion expected by the end of the year and no fixed seating planned. Event nights are already moving east, and the east end is about to get a permanent stage.
Some of what RiversEdge promotes hasn't opened yet. The developer advertises a 125-slip marina. Downtown Vision says transient boat slips and a kayak launch "will be available." None of these could be confirmed as open this fall. The same is true of restaurants and shops, which the developer describes as future parts of the project. For now, food and drinks at RiversEdge come from trucks on event nights.
The fountain still runs on its own schedule
None of this means skipping Friendship Fountain. The city's JaxParks directory lists the fountain running daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., with light shows nightly at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. With the roundabout gone, the way in is the parking lot under the Acosta Bridge, then the pedestrian walkway into the park.
St. Johns River Park, the larger project around the fountain, is still under construction. The City's project page says the history-themed playground is finished and the restrooms and pavilions are still underway. The full plan also includes a wedding venue, picnic areas and interpretive gardens. The city's last published completion estimate was spring 2026, which has passed, and no newer date has been announced.
Smaller events are still listed at the fountain. First Fridays at Friendship Fountain, at 1015 Museum Circle from 6 to 9 p.m., are scheduled for October 2, November 6 and December 4. The October listing mentions free food trucks and craft vendors.
Two more entrances closed, and one hasn't been built yet
The same pattern shows up all along this stretch of river. Construction is changing how people get to the water more than it's changing the water itself.
The St. Johns Marina Boat Ramp at Museum Circle closed August 1 for about two years. The ramp sits next to the Southbank Residences site. City Dock Master Jim Suber described the closure as partly a safety precaution during that construction. The plan reroutes vehicle access, adds boat trailer parking under the Acosta Bridge, dredges the approach, and installs a longer ramp for larger boats. Suber said low tides have left the ramp too muddy for some boaters to launch or pull out. The ramp is expected to reopen in 2028. Until then, Resident News points boaters to the Arlington Road Boat Ramp at 5103 Arlington Road, the Arlington Lions Club Boat Ramp at 4322 Richard D. Gatlin Road, and the John T. Lowe Boat Ramp at Goodby's Creek, 9020 San Jose Boulevard.
The Main Street Bridge lost its southbound walkway on August 24, 2026, along with one southbound traffic lane toward Riverplace Boulevard. Pedestrians follow posted detour signs. The Haskell Company is the contractor, and the city expects to finish by January 30, 2027. The work is the first step toward a permanent pedestrian connection from the bridge to Riverfront Plaza on the Northbank. Phase 2 of Riverfront Plaza, which adds a beer garden, a rain garden and a bike and pedestrian link to the bridge, is expected to be finished by December 2027 or January 2028.
On the west end of the Southbank, a 1,200-foot Riverwalk extension from Baptist Medical Center to the Fuller Warren Shared Use Path is still pending. The city has $7.1 million set aside for it. The design calls for a 17-foot-wide path with two shaded bump-outs, benches and landscaping. It was in permitting review as of January 2026, and the city's timeline estimated 18 months of construction once work begins. The Fuller Warren path, finished in 2023, already runs 4,600 feet between Riverside and San Marco. This extension would join it to the Southbank Riverwalk.
The fall calendar, sorted by where you'll start
Starting at RiversEdge, 2010 Prudential Drive
- Sip & Stroll, 5 to 8 p.m.: October 15, November 19, December 17
Starting at the Acosta Bridge lot for Friendship Fountain
- First Fridays, 6 to 9 p.m.: October 2, November 6, December 4
- Fountain light shows nightly at 7, 8 and 9 p.m.
Back in the neighborhood
- Story Time in the Square at the Balis Park gazebo: October 3 and November 7
- San Marco Preservation Society Concert in the Park at Fletcher Park: October 16
- River Oaks Park cleanup with St. Johns Riverkeeper: October 17
- San Marco Art Festival at Balis Park: November 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and November 29, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., per the festival's own site
- Balis Park tree lighting: December 4
- Holiday Magic in San Marco Square and the Festival of Lights 5K at Balis Park: December 5
- San Marco Preservation Society Holiday Luminaria: December 19
Every date in this post can change with construction schedules, so check the Downtown Vision and Jax Parks pages the week of an event.
Construction on the Southbank is going to keep reshaping access along the river into 2028. If you own near the river or are thinking about buying close to it and want to know how this work could affect a property, Ernie McKinney is a licensed building contractor who reads project timelines and site plans as part of the job. Schedule a Call and we can go through it together.
