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- 🌴 Fort Myers Brief: April 12 - 19
🌴 Fort Myers Brief: April 12 - 19
Major Events & Celebrations in Fort Myers
Fort Myers picked the right week to show off. Between the Seafood & Music Festival closing out at Centennial Park, Earth Day taking over Calusa Nature Center, and free live music in pretty much every corner of town, you've got zero excuses to stay inside. Here's everything worth your Saturday (and the rest of the week, too).
We recommend confirming with event hosts for complete details and current schedules.
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🍽️ Food & Drink Events
🎣 2026 Fort Myers Seafood & Music Festival (Final Day)
📅 Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
📍 Location: 2000 West First Street, Centennial Park, Fort Myers, FL 33901
🦐 Details: The biggest weekend on the spring calendar wraps Sunday. Free admission, fresh Gulf seafood, craft vendors, and the riverside stage running all day. If you missed Friday and Saturday, this is the last chance.
🐊 Gator Fest 2026 (Final Day)
📅 Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
📍 Location: 8500 Penzance Blvd, Fort Myers, FL (Southern Fresh Farms)
🌾 Details: Closing day at Southern Fresh Farms. Live entertainment, food vendors, family activities, and that wide-open farm setting that makes the whole thing feel less like a festival and more like a really fun afternoon out in the country.
🔥 SWFL BBQ Showdown
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 12:00 PM
📍 Location: 1811 Royal Palm Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33901
🍖 Details: Pitmasters from across Southwest Florida going head-to-head. Smoke, sauce, and serious bragging rights on the line. Come hungry.
🍷 Premium Wine Tasting at ABC Lehigh Acres (Inaugural)
📅 Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:30 PM
📍 Location: 11280 Florida 82, Fort Myers, FL 33905
🥂 Details: ABC's first formal tasting event at the Lehigh Acres location. Curated pours, light bites, and an excuse to leave work early on a Thursday.
🌞 UNITED WE MIX (April Edition)
📅 Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM
📍 Location: Stet's Bar, Fort Myers
🎶 Details: Monthly DJ showcase and social mixer at Stet's. Mixed crowd, easy vibe, and a solid way to close out the weekend.
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👨👩👧 Family-Friendly Activities
🌱 Earth Day at Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 3450 Ortiz Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33905
🦋 Details: Hands-on activities, nature trail walks, planetarium shows, and conservation booths spread across one of Fort Myers' most underrated nature spots. Perfect Saturday morning for the kids.
🧒 Healthy Kids Day
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 1360 Royal Palm Square Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33919
🏃 Details: Free, family-focused, and built to get kids moving. Activities, games, and healthy living booths from local partners.
🎈 Downtown Ft. Myers Block Party
📅 Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: River District, Fort Myers, FL
🏘️ Details: Vendors, music, and the easy Sunday energy that makes the River District worth a slow walk. Bring the dog, grab a coffee, stay a while.
🎂 Touch of Taz Turns 1!
📅 Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 2400 First Street, Suite 200, Fort Myers, FL
🎉 Details: Local Fort Myers shop celebrating its first anniversary. Treats, deals, and a community that genuinely shows up for its small businesses.
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🎵 Music & Entertainment
🎸 Damon Fowler at Fort Myers Seafood & Music Festival (Free!)
📅 Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ Time: 4:30 PM
📍 Location: Centennial Park, Fort Myers
🎵 Details: Florida slide guitar legend closing out the festival's final day. Free admission, riverside stage, and his last set of the weekend. Hard to beat that.
🎤 James Farewell Jam at The Ranch
📅 Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: The Ranch, Fort Myers
🎸 Details: A goodbye show with a serious crowd already lining up. Worth being in the room even if you've never caught one of his sets.
🎛️ EDM Fort Myers Presents DAYYLITE
📅 Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Sidney's Rooftop Bar & Sculpture Garden
🌆 Details: Rooftop, sunset, and one of the best electronic sets you'll hear in town this month. Sidney's is the perfect venue for it.
💿 Record Store Day at Stellar Records
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:30 AM
📍 Location: 4206 Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33901
🎶 Details: Exclusive vinyl releases, early doors, and a line that moves fast if you're there before 9. Coffee first, vinyl second.
🎶 Damon Fowler (Solo) with JD Lashley
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Americana Community Music Association, Fort Myers
🎵 Details: Stripped-down evening set in an intimate room. If the festival show is the spectacle, this one is the close-up. Two nights of Fowler in one weekend is a Fort Myers gift.
🥁 Spread Eagle at Stet's Bar
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 1926 Winkler Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33901
🎸 Details: Local rock at one of the rooms that always shows up. Cold drinks, full crowd, no pretense.
🕯️ Fort Myers Concerts by Candlelight
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Fort Myers, FL
🎻 Details: Classical favorites played by candlelight. Quiet, slow, and surprisingly memorable.
🎭 Arts & Special Events
🎨 Southwest Florida Mural Festival 2026
📅 Date: Friday, April 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:30 PM
📍 Location: Downtown Ft. Myers
🖌️ Details: Live painting on walls across downtown all weekend. Walk the loop, watch artists work, and end up with a city that looks different by Sunday night. Bring comfortable shoes.
🎻 1776: The Musical with Gulf Coast Symphony
📅 Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:30 PM
📍 Location: Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
🎼 Details: Full symphony, full cast, and the founding fathers in three-part harmony. Closing night for the Gulf Coast Symphony season and a proper Sunday evening out.
🏍️ Lucky U Cycles Fort Myers Grand Opening
📅 Date: Friday, April 17 through Saturday, April 18, 2026
📍 Location: 4607 Fowler St, Fort Myers, FL
🏁 Details: New shop, big weekend, free to walk through. Even if you don't ride, the turnout and the bikes on display make this worth a stop.
🏎️ Sandbar Car & Bike Show
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 4:00 PM
📍 Location: 4606 S Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers, FL 33907
🔧 Details: Classics, customs, and the regulars who never miss it. Easy to walk through with a plate of food in hand.
💃 Second Chance Prom at The G Spot
📅 Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: 2400 First Street #100, Fort Myers, FL
✨ Details: Everyone gets a redo. Dress code is whatever your prom should have been.
🌺 FUN DAY SUNDAY with Your Besties
📅 Date: Sunday, April 19, 2026
⏰ Time: 12:00 PM
📍 Location: 1790 Hough Street, Fort Myers, FL
🌞 Details: Exactly what it says. Good crowd, chill vibe, and the kind of slow Sunday afternoon that fixes the week.
⚠️ Please verify all event details with the respective organizers before attending, as schedules and venues may change.
📰 What's Happening in Fort Myers
🔗 Lee County Commissioners Award Construction Contract for Fort Myers Beach Pier
Lee County commissioners awarded an $11.7 million contract to RJ Gorman Contracting LLC to rebuild the Fort Myers Beach Pier destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The new structure will be roughly 70% longer and 50% wider than the original, with construction set to begin once federal permits clear.
🔗 Lee County Pushes Washington to Speed Up Fort Myers Pier Rebuild
County leaders traveled to Washington this month to lobby federal agencies and Congress to fast-track the Army Corps of Engineers' permit review for the pier project. Without it, construction can't legally start, even with the contract signed.
🔗 Construction Giant Moving Local HQ and Jobs from Naples to Fort Myers
Manhattan Construction Group broke ground on a new Lee County office and confirmed plans to relocate its Southwest Florida headquarters from Naples. Around 300 jobs will move with the relocation.
🔗 MY Shower Door Breaks Ground on $4.5M Headquarters in Fort Myers
The fast-growing company broke ground on a 14,000 square foot headquarters and training facility in Fort Myers. The project will add roughly 10 new positions and expand workforce training programs across Lee County.
🔗 Palm Riverview Plans 279-Unit Multifamily Complex on Seaboard Street
Palm Riverview Holdings filed plans for a five-story, 279-unit apartment complex on Seaboard Street in Fort Myers. The Planning Board has already approved it 6-1, with a city council public hearing scheduled for April 20.
🔗 Lawsuit Seeks to Protect Endangered Florida Panthers from Massive Development
Conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging the approval of a 10,264-acre development project located inside endangered Florida panther breeding habitat in Southwest Florida. The case will test how federal agencies balance growth and species protection.
🔗 Operation Green Light Set for April 14-17
The Lee Clerk of Court is waiving the 25% collection fee on overdue traffic tickets at two locations from April 14 through 17, with extended hours on the final day. A rare clean-slate opportunity for anyone with old fines hanging over their license.
🔗 Lee County Community Band's Final Concert of the Season April 12
The Lee County Community Band closes out its season Sunday, April 12 at 3 PM at Mariner High School in Cape Coral. Free admission, popular favorites, marches, Broadway selections, and audience sing-alongs.
🔗 Discover the Stories Behind Lee County's Young Artists This April
The 34th Annual Future of Art Show, organized by the Lee Art Education Association, is showcasing hundreds of student works at the Alliance for the Arts throughout April. Worth a slow walk-through if you want to see who Lee County's next round of artists is going to be.
🔗 5 New and Coming Soon Restaurants in Lee County
A roundup of fresh restaurant openings across Lee County, including a new coffee and botanical tea lounge on Alico Road and several other concepts coming online this spring. Worth bookmarking if you're hunting for a new regular spot.
🔗 Seafood, Sound, and Sunset Vibes to Fill the River District
The Fort Myers Seafood & Music Festival returns to Centennial Park for its fifth year with three days of regional and Florida-based musicians, fresh Gulf seafood, and free admission. Coverage includes the full live music schedule and food lineup.
🔗 New Liver Cancer Treatment at Lee Health: No Incisions, Just Sound Waves
Lee Health is the first system in Southwest Florida to offer histotripsy, a noninvasive procedure that uses focused ultrasound to destroy liver tumors without a single incision. Most patients can complete the treatment in one session and go home the same day.