🌴 Fort Myers Brief: May 17 - May 24

This is the week downtown turns into a movie theater. The 16th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival takes over First Street and the Alliance Wednesday through Sunday, with red carpet opening night at SBDAC, late-night shorts after dark, and a 360 dome screening out at the Calusa Nature Center. Mike Tramp brings the Voice of White Lion to Stet's on Friday, Concerts by Candlelight glows downtown Saturday, EDM Fort Myers closes the long weekend at Space 39, Broadway Palm runs Misery in the Off Stage, and Bay Street Yard has live music almost every night. Memorial Day weekend bookends it all. Here is what is worth getting off the couch for.

We recommend confirming with event hosts for complete details and current schedules.

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🍽️ Food & Drink Events

🥬 Downtown Fort Myers Farmers Market
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 AM
📍 Location: Downtown Fort Myers
🍓 Details: The weekly downtown market. Local produce, baked goods, fresh flowers, the same vendors who anchor every Saturday morning.

👑 Charity Drag Queen Bingo Sponsored by Cattyshack Cares
📅 Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM
📍 Location: 2161 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL
🎰 Details: 35 interested, 11 going. Drag bingo for a good cause at Tin Roof. Loud, fast, and the prize tables are unhinged.

🐶 Yappy Hour at Bay Street Yard
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 2136 Bay St, Fort Myers, FL
🐕 Details: Thursday happy hour with your dog on the patio. Yard runs treats, water bowls, and a soft crowd that wants to meet the pup.

🍷 Wine Down Wednesday at Riverside
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 2220 W First St, Fort Myers, FL
🥂 Details: Mid-week glass-of-wine evening on the riverfront. Quiet end of downtown, sunset over the water, easy walk-in.

🍻 Free Beer Monday: A to Z at Tin Roof
📅 Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 2:30 PM
📍 Location: 2161 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL
🍺 Details: Free beer flights Monday afternoons at Tin Roof. The Monday-after-the-weekend recovery move.

🌶️ Tap-It Tuezday: Blueberry Lemon Shandy at Tin Roof
📅 Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
⏰ Time: 2:30 PM
📍 Location: 2161 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL
🍋 Details: New experimental blueberry lemon shandy on tap, low-key Tuesday hang at Tin Roof.

🥗 Wellness Professionals Networking and Directory Launch
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: Forever Grounded Coffee
🍵 Details: 14 interested, 11 going. Local wellness pros, holistic practitioners, and the launch of a new directory. Coffee, intros, a few business cards if you bring them.

🎯 Tuesday Trivia at Southern Fresh Farms
📅 Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: 8500 Penzance Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🌾 Details: Trivia outside on the farm at sunset. Bring a team of four, prizes for first and last.

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🎵 Music & Entertainment

🎬 16th Annual Fort Myers Film Festival
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 20 through Sunday, May 24, 2026
📍 Location: 2301 1st St, Fort Myers, FL
🎞️ Details: 171 interested, 32 going. The marquee event of the week. Five days of indie features, shorts, and panels spread across SBDAC, the Alliance, and the Calusa Nature Center. Pull the schedule before you buy a wristband.

🎸 Mike Tramp: The Voice of White Lion at Stet's Bar
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Stet's Bar, Fort Myers
🤘 Details: 71 interested, 17 going. One night only with the singer behind every classic rock radio block from 1987. Smaller room than you would expect for a rider this size.

🎥 FMFF Opening Night Red Carpet Experience
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 2301 1st St, Fort Myers, FL
🌟 Details: The festival's red carpet kickoff at SBDAC. Filmmakers, press, the local arts crowd in their best, and a screening to close the night out. Dress for photos.

💿 EDM Fort Myers: Natask B2B DAYYLITE at Space 39
📅 Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:30 PM
📍 Location: Space 39 Art Bar & Martini Lounge
🪩 Details: 124 interested, 10 going. The biggest dance ticket of the week. Back-to-back set from two local DJs deep into the Memorial Day weekend night.

🕯️ Concerts by Candlelight
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Fort Myers, FL
🎻 Details: Classical and pop favorites played by candlelight in a small room. The quietest, most romantic ticket on the calendar this week.

🎤 Marcus Washington at Bay Street Yard
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:30 PM
📍 Location: 2136 Bay St, Fort Myers, FL
🎶 Details: Late Thursday set at the Yard. Bay Street runs music almost every night this week, and Marcus opens the run.

🎶 Ian Kelley at Bay Street Yard
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:30 PM
📍 Location: 2136 Bay St, Fort Myers, FL
🎸 Details: Saturday late set at the Yard. Acoustic singer-songwriter, the easy hang after dinner downtown.

🎵 Austin James at Bay Street Yard
📅 Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 2136 Bay St, Fort Myers, FL
🍹 Details: Early Sunday evening set on the patio. Pair it with the sunset and a long drink, then ease into Memorial Day Monday.

🎺 Los Dorados
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: 2158 Colonial Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🎶 Details: Live Latin band on Colonial for Saturday night. 16 interested, 4 going, walk-ins usually push the count.

🎙️ Gator Country 101.9 Live at Downtown Social House
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Downtown Social House, Fort Myers
🎵 Details: Mid-week country radio remote with live music and the Downtown Social crowd. Easy Wednesday walk-in.

😂 SWFL Stand-Up Comedy Studio
📅 Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: 2161 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL
🎤 Details: Reliable Monday open mic for local stand-up. Cheap night out, a few real laughs, a lot of trying.

🎤 Live Comedy at Fort Myers
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 PM
📍 Location: Fort Myers, FL
🎙️ Details: Friday night comedy showcase, the late slot. Bring a friend with low standards and a strong drink budget.

🍻 S3X, D**G$, and ROCK n ROLL TRIVIA (Adults Only)
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: 2400 First Street #100, Fort Myers, FL
🎸 Details: 123 interested, 6 going. The loudest trivia night downtown. Adults only, themed rounds, last team standing wins the bar tab.

🎻 An Evening with S.T.A.R.S.: 35 Years of Excellence
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: 2980 Edison Ave, Fort Myers, FL
✨ Details: 37 interested, 7 going. The Southwest Florida Symphony's S.T.A.R.S. program celebrates 35 years. Evening reception, performances, and a room full of patrons who have been showing up since 1991.

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🎭 Arts & Theater

📚 MISERY at Broadway Palm Off Stage
📅 Date: Friday, May 22 through Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: Multiple matinee and evening times
📍 Location: 1380 Colonial Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🪓 Details: Stephen King's claustrophobic two-hander in the Off Broadway Palm space. Tense, funny, way better than the trailer suggests. Closing weekend.

🎭 Sweeney Todd: School Edition
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: 2268 Bay St, Fort Myers, FL
🔪 Details: Student production of the Sondheim classic on Bay Street. Ambitious choice for a school edition, worth the ticket to watch the kids commit.

🎬 FMFF Friday Schedule at SBDAC
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 1:30 PM
📍 Location: 2301 1st St, Fort Myers, FL
🎞️ Details: Daytime through evening Friday block at SBDAC. Features and shorts, room to bounce in and out between screenings.

🎬 FMFF Saturday Schedule at SBDAC
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 2301 1st St, Fort Myers, FL
🍿 Details: The full Saturday slate at SBDAC. Morning shorts, afternoon features, evening premieres. The day to spend at the festival if you can only pick one.

🎬 FMFF Sunday Schedule at SBDAC
📅 Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 AM
📍 Location: 2301 1st St, Fort Myers, FL
🏆 Details: Closing day at SBDAC. Awards-adjacent screenings, the encore slots, and the festival wrap.

🎥 FMFF 360 Dome Films at Calusa Nature Center
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM
📍 Location: 3450 Ortiz Ave, Fort Myers, FL
🌌 Details: The festival's experimental 360 dome program inside the Calusa Nature Center planetarium. Immersive films, small room, unusual ticket.

🎬 FMFF Late Night Short Films at the Alliance
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 PM
📍 Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🌙 Details: Late-night shorts block at the Alliance. The weirder, riskier programming after the family-friendly slots wrap downtown.

🎬 FMFF Sunday Screenings at the Alliance
📅 Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 12:00 PM
📍 Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🎞️ Details: Sunday afternoon screening block at the Alliance. The lower-key festival close, with the McGregor crowd and a slower pace.

🎬 Near Death Experience Film Screening at SBDAC
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: 2301 1st St, Fort Myers, FL
🎥 Details: Pre-festival screening of an indie feature at SBDAC. Director Q&A after. Smaller crowd, bigger conversation.

🎓 Dunbar High School 21st Annual Academy Awards Ceremony
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: 3800 Edison Ave, Fort Myers, FL
🏆 Details: Dunbar's long-running end-of-year academic and arts awards night. Free, family-friendly, and the kind of crowd that claps for every name.

🎨 Step By Step Batik: Poppies with Pat Smelkoff
📅 Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🌸 Details: Wax and watercolor batik on fabric, all materials provided. Slow, meditative, leave with a finished piece on your wall.

🎨 Acrylic Painting with Pat Smelkoff
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🖌️ Details: Three-hour acrylic studio session at the Alliance. All levels, materials included, no prior experience required.

🍞 Edible Art: The Craft of Sourdough
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🥖 Details: Hands-on sourdough starter and shaping workshop at the Alliance. Take home a live starter and the confidence to feed it.

🌿 Sip & Create: Build a Zen Garden
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL
🪨 Details: BYOB craft night at the Alliance. Build your own miniature zen garden with sand, stone, and a few imported plants. Three hours, one finished piece.

🎨 Crafts After Dark at Kava Culture
📅 Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM
📍 Location: Kava Culture, Fort Myers
✨ Details: Late Sunday craft session at Kava Culture. Bring an unfinished project or grab supplies on site. Quiet, social, low-stakes.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family-Friendly Activities

🐐 Goat Yoga with Marsala the Highland Calf
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:00 AM
📍 Location: 13151 Pinto Lane, Fort Myers, FL
🧘 Details: Yoga mats, goats climbing on you mid-pose, and the tiny Highland calf along for the class. Worth it for the photos alone.

🐑 Goat Snuggling with Marsala the Highland Calf
📅 Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 13151 Pinto Lane, Fort Myers, FL
🤍 Details: Pull up a seat, hold a baby goat, leave a calmer person. Less workout, more therapy.

🦋 Friends Come Free Weekend at Six Mile Cypress
📅 Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 AM
📍 Location: 9375 Six Mile Cypress Pkwy, Fort Myers, FL
🌿 Details: Members get a free guest at Six Mile Cypress Slough this weekend. Boardwalks, wildlife, the quietest reset you can get in town.

🦋 Friends Come Free Weekend at Lakes Park
📅 Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 AM
📍 Location: 1755 Boy Scout Dr, Fort Myers, FL
🌳 Details: The Lakes Park edition of the Friends Come Free Sunday. Botanical garden, train rides for the kids, easy half-day outdoors.

🎪 BounceFest at Hope's Heart Thrift Store
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: Hope's Heart Thrift Store, Fort Myers
🎈 Details: 8 interested, 3 going. Bounce houses, food, and a family-friendly fundraiser for Hope's Heart. The easy Saturday morning with the kids.

🏃 Adult Field Day at Dunbar Park
📅 Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00 PM
📍 Location: Dunbar Park, Fort Myers
🥇 Details: Grown-up tug of war, three-legged races, the whole elementary school playbook with no kids and possibly beer. Bring your knee braces.

📚 Calling All Book Lovers Downtown
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 2220 W First St, Fort Myers, FL
📖 Details: Used book swap and reading meet-up on the river. Bring three, take three, stay for the recommendations.

🌿 Outdoor & Community

🌙 Night Hikes at Calusa Nature Center
📅 Date: Friday, May 22, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:30 PM
📍 Location: 3450 Ortiz Ave, Fort Myers, FL
🔦 Details: 20 interested, 1 going. Guided after-dark trail walk with naturalists. Bring a flashlight and bug spray. Closes one of the best Friday nights for outdoor types.

🎳 Florida State USBC Women's Tournament
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23 through Sunday, May 24, 2026
📍 Location: Lightning Strikes Bowl
🎯 Details: Two-day state women's bowling tournament. Spectators welcome. Lightning Strikes runs cold beer and a loud crowd.

🚗 Car & Motorcycle Show
📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM
📍 Location: 4045 Fowler St, Fort Myers, FL
🏍️ Details: 7 interested, 4 going. Weekly Thursday cruise-in on Fowler. Classic cars, weekend warriors, and the local mod crowd swapping stories.

🧘 Rooftop Yoga and Conscious Movement with Edric
📅 Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Sidney's Rooftop Sculpture Garden
✨ Details: Sunset rooftop yoga downtown. Stretch first, sculpture garden second, sunset over the river closing it out.

🏃 SPEEDSTERS Long Run
📅 Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ Time: 6:00 AM
📍 Location: Fort Myers Country Club
👟 Details: The Sunday morning long run for the local distance crowd. Show up with water and a watch, leave a few miles deeper.

🏋️ Let's Get MOVING City of Fort Myers
📅 Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
⏰ Time: 11:30 AM
📍 Location: Riverside Community Center
🥋 Details: City of Fort Myers community fitness session at Riverside. Free, all levels, drop-in.

🚶 Pathways to Pace
📅 Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM
📍 Location: 3800 Evans Avenue, Fort Myers, FL
🛤️ Details: Walking-and-talking community meet-up at PACE Center for Girls. Slow, friendly, the kind of morning that turns into a coffee after.

🤝 United We Mix (May Edition)
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00 PM
📍 Location: 1926 Winkler Ave, Fort Myers, FL
🎉 Details: 21 interested, 14 going. Monthly community mixer with food, music, and a few hours of the Fort Myers crowd actually showing up for each other.

🐾 PIRATES & PUPPIES with Dead Mans Hand
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 3:00 PM
📍 Location: 2158 Colonial Blvd #1, Fort Myers, FL
🦜 Details: 22 interested, 4 going. The Lumber Axe crew runs a pirate-themed afternoon with rescue dogs on the lot. Dress the part if you have it.

🎳 Rippin & Sippin at Lightning Strikes Bowl
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:30 PM
📍 Location: Lightning Strikes Bowl
🍻 Details: Late Saturday bowling night with cheap drinks. Easy plan B if the rest of the night runs short.

⚠️ Please verify all event details with the respective organizers before attending, as schedules and venues may change.

📰 What's Happening in Fort Myers

🔗 Costco Closes $55M Fort Myers Land Deal at $1M Per Acre
Costco officially closed Tuesday on its 55-acre site near Colonial Boulevard and Plantation Road for roughly $55 million, a $1M-per-acre benchmark brokers say resets the bar for commercial dirt in Lee County. Developers expect ground to break by the end of the year.

🔗 Fort Myers Beach Planning Agency Votes 4-3 to Deny Outrigger Resort Plan
The Town's Local Planning Agency voted 4-3 Tuesday against London Bay's request to amend the comprehensive plan for a 150-unit hotel and 46 multi-family condos at the former Outrigger Beach Resort site. The full Town Council still gets the final call.

🔗 Lee Schools Right-Sizing Draws Heated Public Input at Tuesday Board Meeting
Parents, students, and teachers lined up at Tuesday's school board meeting to push back on Superintendent Denise Carlin's right-sizing plan, citing teacher non-renewals and program cuts tied to the projected $46.7 million deficit. The district says enrollment-based funding leaves no choice.

🔗 JLL Closes Sale of 110,780-SF Daniels Crossing in Fort Myers
JLL announced Friday it brokered the sale of Daniels Crossing, the Publix-anchored 110,780-square-foot neighborhood center on Daniels Parkway. The trade lands one of the busier south Fort Myers retail corners with a new owner heading into the summer leasing season.

🔗 Sweet Tomatoes Confirms South Fort Myers Return
The salad bar chain that shuttered nationwide in 2020 has new owners and a confirmed plan to reopen the original Cleveland Avenue location in south Fort Myers. Tampa-based TWT Restaurant Design is leading the remodel.

🔗 Ajax Paving Buys Fort Myers Industrial Parcel for $3.3M
Michigan-based Ajax Paving Industries closed on a Fort Myers land parcel this week for $3.3 million in an owner-user deal. The buy positions the regional paving contractor for a deeper South Florida footprint heading into hurricane recovery work.

🔗 Housing Authority Opens Project-Based Voucher Waitlists Monday May 18
The Housing Authority of the City of Fort Myers opens waitlists Monday for all six of its Project-Based Voucher properties in Lee County. Applications run through the official portal only. First applications hit Monday morning.

🔗 Sheriff Marceno Marks National Safe Boating Week May 16-22
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno opened National Safe Boating Week with a Saturday press conference reminding boaters to wear life jackets, take a safety course, and skip alcohol on the water. May is also National Water Safety Month, with the sheriff pushing pool fencing and door alarms ahead of summer.

🔗 Lee County Sheriff Honors Cpl Patrick Healey at Lakes Park Memorial
The Sheriff's Office held a Thursday morning ceremony at the Fallen Deputy Memorial in Lakes Park honoring Corporal Patrick Healey. Family, agency staff, and community members attended the 10 a.m. service.

🔗 FGCU Among Universities Locked Out of Canvas After Hack Continues
Florida Gulf Coast University remains among the universities locked out of Canvas this week after attackers hijacked the platform's login page. FGCU confirmed the breach is not on its end and is awaiting an official return-to-service window.

🔗 FGCU Men's Golf Heads to NCAA Marana Regional
The Eagles earned their third NCAA Men's Golf Championship team bid after winning the ASUN title, drawing the Marana Regional. It marks the program's third regional trip and first since 2025 Amherst.

🔗 Cape Coral Rowing Women's Pair Takes Silver at Regionals
The Cape Coral Rowing Club's Women's Pair crossed the line in second place at Regionals on Sunday, May 11, locking in a silver medal and a strong setup heading into the next round of qualifying.

🔗 Mighty Mussels Take Late Bryan Acuña RBI Double in Wednesday Win
Bryan Acuña ripped a clutch double Wednesday at Hammond Stadium, scoring Jayson Bass and giving the Mighty Mussels the late lead in their May 13 Florida State League win. Hammond hosts another homestand through the weekend.

🔗 Pine Island Road Overnight Paving Wraps Up Mid-Week
Lee County DOT's Pine Island Road overnight paving ran from 7 p.m. Wednesday May 13 to 6 a.m. Thursday May 14, with optional Wednesday-to-Thursday continuation. Lane shifts are clearing this weekend.