Edison Festival of Light to kick off this weekend with a variety of events

Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Edison Festival of Lights
A parade float. Credit: Edison Festival of Lights

The 86th annual Edison Festival of Light continues its festivities this weekend with a variety of events.

The celebratory event centers around Thomas Alva Edison, where in 1885, the famous inventor built his winter home in Fort Myers, Florida near the Caloosahatchee River.

According to the Edison Festival of Lights website, he spent 50 years wintering in Fort Myers, often dedicating his time to support local charities and projects.

To commemorate Edison’s life after his death in 1931, the Fort Myers community created the Edison Pageant of Light in 1938, which was decorated with a coronation ball, parade, band concert and a memorial service. 

The event continued to evolve, eventually morphing into the fun annual tradition of today.

Here is a list of the events to look forward to this weekend:

  • STEMtastic Day of Discovery— an award-winning STEM event that provides an exciting atmosphere for children and families to experience Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and the Arts. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Saturday.
  • “Mutt Strutt”—Dog owners gather together to strut their pups. Weiner dog races and a pet parade will round out the event. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday.
  • The Edison Garden Festival—Food, music and activities along with garden vendors from around the state gather for the two day long event. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday.
  • Junior Fun Run and Parade—Young participants gather to compete in a brief but fun run. Afterwards, Florida’s largest youth parade showcases the talents of hundreds of Southwest Florida children and their families. From noon to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

After the parade will be the Junior Coronation and Awards where the junior king and queen will be crowned.

The Grand Parade is scheduled for Feb. 17.

For more information about the Edison Festival of Lights, click here.

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