87th Annual Edison Festival of Light Parade


Join our iHeartradio family of radio stations for the 87th Annual Edison Festival of Light Parade in Downtown Ft Myers! The festival runs from February 1st through 16th, with dozens of fun, family friendly events leading up to the Grand Parade of Light on Feb 15th! Rain or shine, you can alway rely on this exciting community event.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Feb 15 – 5K Run 5:15PM START

Location: Downtown River District/Edwards Drive/US 41

Well over 1,400 participants and thousands of spectators take over the streets of the Downtown River District. Click here for info & to sign up!

Feb 15 – Grand Parade of Light 7PM – 10PM

Location: Downtown River District/Edwards Drive

Feb 15 – Grand Parade of Light VIP Tent 5:30PM – Until End of Parade

Location: Downtown River District/Edwards and Hendry

Step into the VIP tent for an exclusive experience at the 86th annual Edison Festival of Light parade. Indulge in a delectable array of fabulous food and drinks, meticulously crafted to tantalize your taste buds. As you savor each bite, a talented DJ keeps the atmosphere alive with toe-tapping beats and infectious tunes. With VIP parade seating, you’ll have the best view on the parade route, allowing you to immerse yourself in the spectacular sights and sounds of this grand celebration. Join us in this unforgettable VIP tent experience and elevate your parade experience to a whole new level of extravagance. Click Here to get VIP Tickets!

Feb 15-16 – Crafts on the River 0:00

Location: Caloosa Sound Amphitheater

Downtown Fort Myers is transformed into a craft lovers dream with exhibitors displaying their hand-crafts during the three-day Edison Festival event. Click here for info & to sign up!

Feb 16 – Classic Car Show 0:00

Location: Downtown River District

Hundreds of classic vehicles line Edwards Drive for a day of nostalgia and pride. Cruise in with your classic, browse others and meet the owners. At the same time, enjoy food, beverages, and Crafts on the River. For more information on this event or to register please reach out to John with Hot Chili Rods via email hotchilirods@aol.com

HISTORY

In 1885, Thomas Alva Edison built his winter home in Fort Myers, Florida on the Caloosahatchee River. Throughout the 50 years Edison wintered in Fort Myers, he dedicated time in support of local charities and projects. He died in 1931, having successfully received over 1,000 patents for his inventions.

The idea of a celebration to commemorate Edison’s life of achievement evolved into the Edison Pageant of Light in 1938, with a Coronation Ball, a parade, a band concert and a memorial service. The successful three-day event grew, and later increased to a week-long festival, and finally to two full weeks. In 1988, demand for more public events was great, but the Pageant membership struggled to provide enough volunteers to grow the event. The choices were to limit the growth of the public events, or create a new public corporation to assume the responsibility for all events and open them to the public.

In a unanimous vote, the Pageant board elected to turn over all the public events to a new non-profit corporation. This paved the road to the possibilities of civic celebrations in which the entire community could participate. In 1989, the new organization, the Edison Festival of Light, Inc. officially assumed responsibility for all public events celebrating Thomas Edison and the City of Fort Myers.