SWFL NowVERIFIED NEWS. LOCAL IMPACT.83°F in Cape Coral,Sunny · Cape Coral
The Southwest Florida stories that are too local, too early or too ongoing for the evening news.
Wednesday, November 11
Veterans and their families can ride the Lakes Park of South Florida Railroad in Fort Myers for free on Wednesday, Nov. 11, starting at 10 a.m. Riders should bring a DD-214, military ID or other proof of service. A flag-raising at the train station marking the nation's 250th anniversary is set for 2:50 p.m.
Source: WINK News
Friday, October 30
The Community House on Periwinkle Way holds its free Fall Festival and Candy Carnival from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Kids collect stamps at activity stations for candy and prizes, and a costume contest open to families starts at 5:30 p.m.
Source: Island Reporter (captivasanibel.com) and 1 more
Friday, October 30
Gulf Coast Symphony performs music from the Harry Potter films at the Music & Arts Community Center in Fort Myers on Friday, Oct. 30, with shows at 6 and 8 p.m. Tickets start at $76, and costumes are welcome.
Source: Gulf Coast Symphony and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
Farmer Mike's U-Pick on Morton Avenue ends its 12th annual fall festival on Saturday, Oct. 31. The farm offers a 5-acre family corn maze, a haunted maze on Friday and Saturday nights, pick-your-own pumpkins and sunflowers, and hayrides. Tickets are sold online only.
Source: Farmer Mike's U-Pick and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
Cambier Park in downtown Naples hosts the free Halloween Spooktacular from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, with music, games, candy and costume contests. Evening on Fifth follows along Fifth Avenue South.
Source: Fifth Avenue South BID and 3 more
Saturday, October 31
Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples holds a free Fall Fest from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Families can expect trunk-or-treat, a costume parade, bounce houses and face painting.
Source: Paradise Coast Sports Complex and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
The 34th Fort Myers Fall Craft Fair runs Saturday, Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers. Admission is $6, and children 12 and under get in free.
Source: Buckler Shows and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
Galaxy Fright Nights runs its final nights Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Collier Fairgrounds. The indoor event has two haunted houses, a no-scare family maze and a laser show. General admission is $15, with haunted-house tickets extra.
Source: Galaxy Fright Nights and 1 more
Sunday, November 1
The Naples Concert Band starts its 55th season with "Italian Masterpieces and American Pride" at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Cambier Park bandshell. Guest vocalist Jeanie Darnell joins the band. Admission is free, with donations welcome.
Source: Naples Concert Band and 2 more
Saturday, November 7
Fort Myers Beach holds its Illuminations walking parade on Saturday, Nov. 7, with participants carrying lanterns and lights. The parade is free to join or watch, and registration is open through the Fort Myers Beach Chamber.
Source: Fort Myers Beach Chamber and 2 more
Sunday, November 1
Don McMillan brings his "Now Powered By AI" stand-up show to Off the Hook Comedy Club on Vanderbilt Beach Road for several shows Friday through Sunday, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. Tickets are sold through the club.
Source: Off the Hook Comedy Club and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
Cape Coral Animal Shelter invites families to trick-or-treat from noon to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31. Visitors bring a treat for the animals and get one in return.
Source: WINK News
Thursday, October 29
Slipaway Food Truck Park & Marina at 1811 Cape Coral Pkwy. E. hosts a family Truck-or-Treat night market Thursday starting at 5 p.m., with decorated food trucks handing out candy, local vendors and pumpkin painting. A Halloween Fright Night with a $1,000 costume contest follows Saturday, Oct. 31.
Source: WINK News and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
Halloween Notte runs its final nights through Saturday at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds, 2333 El Jobean Road, with gates opening at 6 p.m. Entry is $5 and includes vendors, food trucks, a petting zoo and a family show, while two haunted houses start at $25.
Source: @ComfortPort and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers holds its Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry to the festival grounds is free, with separate fees for activities such as the pumpkin patch and banyan tree climb, plus craft and food vendors and live music. Museum and lab tours need a separate ticket.
Source: Edison & Ford Winter Estates and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
Naples Botanical Garden celebrates Día de los Muertos on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with community altars, mariachi and folklórico performances, Catrina figures and family activities. It's included with Garden admission and free for members; a flower-crown workshop costs extra.
Source: Naples Botanical Garden and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
The Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers runs its séance-themed haunted house, Stage Fright Nights: Summoning the Damned, on select nights through Oct. 31. Remaining nights include a discount night Oct. 28, a free FreakArt After Dark fundraiser Oct. 29 and a Boos & Booze Halloween night Oct. 31. General admission is $20, or $15 for members.
Source: Alliance for the Arts and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium's outdoor Haunted Walk: Face Your Fears has its last nights Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7:15 to 10:30 p.m. Proceeds support care for the center's animals, and a free shuttle runs from Fort Myers Seventh-day Adventist Church on Ortiz Avenue because of road construction.
Source: Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
The City of Clewiston holds Hope, Harvest & Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Sugar Festival Field. The day starts with the Pink Warrior 5K walk/run, followed by a fall festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., a sensory-friendly trunk-or-treat hour at 5 p.m. and the main trunk-or-treat from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Source: City of Clewiston Parks & Recreation and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office and partner groups host the free Cops & Goblins Halloween event at Port Charlotte Town Center on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 2 to 5 p.m. The mall bills it as the area's largest Halloween event, with trick-or-treating for families.
Source: Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
The Cape Coral Farmers Market at Club Square runs Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with more than 125 vendors selling produce, baked goods, seafood, plants and crafts. SNAP/EBT is accepted. The Cape Coral chamber also holds a business expo at the market on the last Saturday of each month.
Source: Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
The Ghost of the Coast 5K and 1-mile fun run/walk starts at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Eastwood Golf Course in Fort Myers. Costumes are encouraged, and proceeds go to the Fort Myers Police Athletic League. Registration is $40 until the price rises after 11:59 a.m. Oct. 29.
Source: Apex Promoz and 1 more
Saturday, October 31
Country artist Gavin Adcock performs at Hertz Arena in Estero on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m., with Braxton Keith and The Creekers also on the bill. Tickets are sold through AXS.
Source: Hertz Arena
Saturday, October 31
Southern Fresh Farms in Fort Myers wraps up its free weekend fall festival with Boo at the Farm on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 1 to 4 p.m., featuring trick-or-treating at candy stations around the farm. The festival also has a pumpkin patch, hayrides, farm animals, food trucks and live music, and admission and parking are free.
Source: Southern Fresh Farms and 2 more
Thursday, November 5
Sunseeker Resort in Punta Gorda holds its first Jazz Fest: Food & Wine weekend Nov. 5-7. Thursday and Friday evenings are free to attend, with food and wine sold around the resort and live jazz, and Saturday's ticketed four-course dinner features Danny Sinoff and the Stardust Memories Big Band, with tickets from $149.
Source: Sunseeker Resort and 1 more
Saturday, November 7
The Florida International Air Show takes over Punta Gorda Airport Nov. 7-8, with gates opening at 9 a.m. Aerobatic acts, a MiG-17 and a TA-4J Skyhawk, static aircraft and a STEM pavilion are planned, and parking is free with a ticket. The Air Force F-35A demo team has canceled.
Source: Florida International Air Show and 2 more
Saturday, October 31
The City of Bonita Springs' free Happy Haunts Immersive Halloween Experience runs nightly through Oct. 31 in downtown Bonita Springs, with decorations, lights, projections and music from 5:30 to 10 p.m. There is no candy on the stroll itself; trick-or-treating is part of the Downtown Bonita Alliance's Trick or Treat on Old 41 on Oct. 31 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Source: City of Bonita Springs and 1 more
Sunday, October 25
The SWFL Sports Card Show is on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pondella Bingo, 959 Pondella Road, in North Fort Myers. Collectors can browse and trade sports cards. Check with the organizer for admission details.
Source: TCG Shows Near Me and 2 more
Friday, October 23
The 16th annual Stone Crab Festival fills the Tin City waterfront in Naples this weekend, opening Friday at 5 p.m. and running through Sunday. Admission is free, with live music, vendors and seafood to mark the start of stone crab season; general parking is $5.
Source: Florida Weekly and 2 more
Sunday, October 25
The 18th annual Naples International Film Festival is under way through Sunday, with screenings, outdoor Cinema Under the Stars showings and an awards ceremony on Oct. 25. Artis-Naples lists "Tenor: My Name Is Pati" on Oct. 23 and "Too Soon" on Oct. 24 under the stars, and closes with "Superman" accompanied by a live orchestra on Oct. 25.
Source: Artis-Naples and 3 more
Tuesday, October 27
More than 50 large-format photos of old-growth bald cypress by National Geographic photographer Mac Stone will line the boardwalk at Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary starting Oct. 27. The outdoor exhibit runs through March 31, 2027, and is included with regular admission. It accompanies Stone's new book, "Cypress: The Last Old-Growth Swamps."
Source: WGCU News and 1 more
Saturday, November 7
Cape Coral's Veterans Day Parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, heading west on Cape Coral Parkway from Cape Coral Street to Chester Street in South Cape. Groups that want to march can fill out the city's parade application and return it to the Special Events team by mail or at SEclerk@capecoral.gov.
Source: City of Cape Coral and 1 more
Sunday, October 18
The River Romp, a US Sailing Junior Olympic regatta hosted by Edison Sailing Center, finished Sunday, Oct. 18, after two days of racing on the Caloosahatchee River off North Shore Park in North Fort Myers. Sailors ages 8 to 19 raced in Optimist, ILCA and C420 classes. The park, closed to the public during the event, reopens Monday, Oct. 19.
Source: Edison Sailing Center and 1 more
Sunday, October 18
The 2026 Marco Island Boat Show the largest premier recreational in-water show in the Naples-Marco Island area continues through Sunday October 18 at the Marco Island Yacht Club.
Source: MIACC and 1 more
Saturday, October 17
Free family-friendly card and collectibles show at Edison Mall in Fort Myers from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today including vendors comics and a large bounce house.
Source: Cape Coral Breeze and 1 more
Saturday, October 17
Weekly Saturday market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on First Street in the Culinary District featuring local vendors.
Source: SWFL Blog
