Jacksonville sports fans have plenty to cheer about this week. The Jaguars kick off the 2026–2027 NFL season at home on Sunday, September 13, hosting the Cleveland Browns at 1:00 p.m. at EverBank Stadium — a game that carries extra weight, since it's the last home opener fans will experience at the stadium in its current form. With a new facility under construction, the team is set to play home games in Orlando next season before the new stadium opens in 2028.
Baseball wraps up its Jacksonville run at the same time. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp close out their 2026 home schedule with a six-game series against the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, running through Saturday at VyStar Ballpark. The series began with a Tuesday doubleheader at 5:05 p.m. and continues with evening games Wednesday through Friday at 7:05 p.m. and a final home game Saturday at 6:35 p.m.
Beyond the ballpark and the gridiron, this weekend brings a strong lineup of music and community events. Fin Fest, a free two-day ocean conservation, education, and music festival, runs Friday from 5:00–10:00 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10:00 p.m. at Seawalk Pavilion. Saturday evening is especially packed, with Greensky Bluegrass at the Florida Theatre (8:00 p.m.), a Carpenters tribute concert at Thrasher-Horne Center (7:30 p.m.), Brew at the Zoo at Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens (6:30 p.m.), and Saturday Sounds at Friendship Fountain (6:00 p.m.).
Sunday rounds out the weekend with Ann Wilson performing at Thrasher-Horne Center at 6:30 p.m. and the Sam Grisman Project live at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, also at 6:30 p.m. Markets, comedy shows, and a blues and barbecue event fill out the midweek calendar as well.
This weekend events roundup was originally reported by 104.5 WOKV.
