36th annual Sanibel Luminary Festival begins

Reporter: Asha Patel Writer: Carolina Guzman
Published: Updated:

The Luminary Festival kicked off on Sanibel Island on Friday. This community-wide holiday event puts residents and visitors in the holiday spirit.

This tradition has lasted 36 hours on Sanibel Island. The idea of this event is to have people stroll the trail of Periwinkle Way, which is full of lights and Christmas decorations.

Barbara and Dale Swinehart married on the island more than 20 years ago and drove hours to be here. They said they do this every year.

“We drove 4 hours over to attend the luminary tonight to see all the lights,” said Barbara Swinehart.

They came for the lights and the decorations and to see people on the island come together.
That is something Sanibel resident Caryn Hobes said they needed.

“Everybody who is here is trying their best to get whatever they can,” said Hobes. “We hope everybody will come since there’s so many people who haven’t come back yet.”

Events like this keep not only businesses but also the community going.

The Luminary Festival continues on Saturday at Captiva Island.

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