The Edison Festival of Light skipped the parades last year. But don’t worry, marching-band fans: They’re back again for 2022.
Parade lovers aren’t the only ones looking forward to them, either.
So are the parade’s organizers.
“Everybody’s excited about it,” says Greg Edsell, board president for the Edison Fest. “We plan this all year long. … It’s a labor of love.”
The Junior Parade and the Grand Parade are the two biggest events in the annual Edison Festival of Light, a two-week series of activities celebrating Fort Myers’ most famous resident, inventor Thomas Edison.
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Last year: The parades are canceled. So what’s still happening for the Edison Fest?
The parades have happened every year for decades. So it was an agonizing decision to cancel them in 2021 because of COVID-19 concerns, says grand parade chairman Mike Gill.
The Edison Fest’s board of directors made the decision in December 2020 as COVID cases were climbing again in Southwest Florida.
“That was a tough one,” Gill says. “It really was. But that was beyond our control.”
Now cases are dropping again, and organizers feel much better about conditions in Fort Myers.
The CDC says outdoor events are much safer than indoor ones, and other experts have confirmed that with parade organizers, Gill says. “It’s outside. They’re in the fresh air."
Edsell says he’s glad the parades and the rest of the festival are able to happen this year. It’s a popular event that brings the community together — especially the grand parade.
“There’s a lot of people who participate every year,” Edsell says. “You can go up and down the parade route and you see people have their spots marked off (on the sidewalk) that have been marking those spots for decades.
“So it’s just very much woven into the fabric of the community.”
Last year, the Edison Fest held about half of the events it usually does, Edsell says. And some of those switched from in-person to virtual.
Now the fest has returned to full strength with both parades, a craft show, a food-truck-and-beer festival, a concert, a dog parade and lots more.
It’s all about celebrating Thomas Edison and everything else that makes Fort Myers special, Edsell says.
“This is the 84th year,” he says. “It’s one event that really anyone in this community … can sort of rally around, and that makes it uniquely Fort Myers.
Here’s a closer look at all the Edison Fest events happening this weekend and later in Fort Myers. For more information, call 334-2999 or visit edisonfestival.org.
Thomas Edison's Birthday Party
Come celebrate what would have been the 175th birthday of Thomas Edison, the late inventor and part-time Fort Myers resident. The party includes birthday cake, a singing of the "Happy Birthday" song and students from Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School dancing and playing stringed instruments. 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 11. Free admission. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd., downtown Fort Myers.
STEMtastic Day of Discovery
An award-winning showcase of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) exhibits for local children and their families. Visitors can participate in an indoor and outdoor interactive area with STEM-related exhibits, games and presentations. Plus children performing music, theater and acrobatics on the community stage. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. Free. Caloosa Sound Convention Center at Luminary Hotel & Co., 1375 Monroe St., downtown Fort Myers.
Edison Garden Festival
Florida garden vendors display and sell their exotic, tropical and native plants and trees at the annual Edison Garden Festival. Plus you can buy garden supplies and gift items, such as mulch, trellises, pottery, cut flowers, jewelry and artwork. There also will be live music and food trucks. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 12-13. Free (tours of the Estate homes, museum and lab not included). Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd., downtown Fort Myers.
Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival
The annual festival features a deejay, ax throwing, craft beer and five food trucks. Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. Free. The intersection of Edwards Drive and Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers.
Mutt Strutt
The costumed dog parade and talent show returns with dogs and their owners wearing costumes, plus a few “doggie floats.” Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 12. Free. Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers.
Edison Festival Junior Fun Run
This kids run is open to children in grades 5 and below. Fun run lengths range from 50 to 75 yards to 1 mile. Noon Sunday, Feb. 13. $5 entry fee includes T-shirt and ribbon. Race starts at First and Lee streets.
Edison Festival of Light Junior Parade
This smaller version of the Edison Festival of Light Grand Parade features kids and their families smiling and waving from floats, wagons, marching bands and more. 2:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13. Free. The parade starts at First and Heitman streets in downtown Fort Myers.
Junior Coronation & Parade Awards
This awards ceremony for Junior Parade participants takes place right after the Junior Parade. In addition, the Junior King and Queen of the mythical Royal Court of Edisonia are crowned. They'll join the rest of the court on floats during the Grand Parade. 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13. Free. Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, 2301 First St., downtown Fort Myers.
"Escape to Margaritaville"
This musical comedy features “Fins,” “Volcano,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and more Jimmy Buffett hits. Feb. 18-April 2. $50-$75. Broadway Palm dinner theater, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. 278-4422 or broadwaypalm.com
Rhythm on the River
Neil Diamond tribute artist Neil Zirconia performs for the ongoing Rhythm on the River concert series on the Ford lawn overlooking the Caloosahatchee River. 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. $25-$30. Guests are encouraged to bring folding lawn chairs, blankets and/or sweaters. No coolers allowed. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd., downtown Fort Myers.
Crafts on the River
Exhibitors display and sell handmade crafts during this non-juried event by the Caloosahatchee River. Items include jewelry, photography, paintings, sculptures and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 19-20. Free. Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers.
Edison Festival of Light 5K
This 3.1-mile race travels through downtown Fort Myers. More than 1,400 people take part every year in the 5K. 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19. Entry fee is $35. Race starts at the intersection of Bay and Jackson streets in downtown Fort Myers.
Edison Festival of Light Grand Parade
The gigantic, two-hour parade returns after skipping 2021 due to the pandemic. It's considered to be the biggest night parade in the Southeastern United States. 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19. Free (although various local nonprofits also sell reserved “street seats”). The parade travels from Fort Myers High School to Cleveland Avenue and then north to downtown Fort Myers.
Classic Car Show
Edwards Drive will be lined with hundreds of hot rods and classic cars. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. Free. Edwards Drive in downtown Fort Myers.
Cracker Dinner
This annual dinner includes door prizes, live music, a silent auction and this year's speakers, Beverly Cox and Emmaline Beaumont, who will tell stories of Fort Myers’ past. Presented by the Southwest Florida Historical Society. 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 21. $35. Broadway Palm dinner theater, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers. Tickets sold at Broadway Palm. facebook.com/SWFLHS
Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Edison Festival of Light in Fort Myers: The parades are back!
