Fort Myers gears up for Edison Festival parade; road closures in place

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

Downtown Fort Myers is buzzing with excitement as the Edison Festival of Light Parade is set to begin.

The large crowd continues to grow in anticipation of the nighttime festivities.

Trixie Parkes said, “It’s going to be crazy tonight. I know that.”

Preparations are underway, with “No Parking” flyers scattered throughout the area. Signs cover meters and are taped to trees, while road-closed signs and barricades are in place for the event.

Sandy Sugg eagerly anticipates this occasion.

“I love the excitement. I love the parade. It’s long, but it’s fun,” said Sugg.

However, the preparations took Elizabeth Burley by surprise.

“I’m newish to the downtown Fort Myers area,” said Burley. “I was like, why are all the no parking and all the caution tape and all of the, you know, road blockers?”

As crews closed roads, Fort Myers residents prepared for the event. Burley is now considering joining in on the fun.

“Maybe I want to be a part of it,” said Burley. “You know, I’m new here, and, you know, something new, something fun… that would be great to meet people, but I had no idea that it was going on.”

Sugg encourages everyone to join the festivities.

“Come down. Experience it. You’ll want to come back year after year,” said Sugg.

The parade begins at 7:15 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m.

Keep an eye out for the return of the WINK Doppler parade float, featuring meteorologists from The Weather Authority along with other WINK News team members.

Copyright ©2025 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.