FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Fort Myers Seafood and Music Festival, a popular downtown event, has been postponed due to cold weather conditions expected this weekend. Originally scheduled to start tomorrow, the festival was set to feature fresh seafood, drinks, and live performances from R&B, jazz, and reggae artists at Centennial Park.
Bill Kinney from Paragon Festivals, who manages the event, said organizers are looking to reschedule for the weekend of April 10. However, the city has not yet confirmed this date.
“We see a huge increase in traffic whenever there’s a festival downtown,” said Haley Hanson, store manager at Franklin Shops.
Despite the festival’s postponement, downtown businesses are still experiencing an increase in visitors. Hanson believes the delay might lead to even more attendees once the event is rescheduled.
“Maybe more people will show up since it’s postponed. It gives them more time to plan and come out with good weather. But I still think we’re going to have a really good turnout this weekend because, again, people can’t go to the beach, so they’re coming downtown,” said Hanson.
The cold weather is affecting more than just Fort Myers. A few parks at Disney World and Universal in Orlando have also been impacted. Sandy Tjelland, a tourist, shared her experience, saying, “We went to Universal. The volcano was closed. And we saw in Disney that, oh, what’s the other one with the water? That was closed. The Typhoon Lagoon. Yeah, that was closed, yeah.”
In Southwest Florida, the Friends of Fort Myers Beach Library Book Sale, originally scheduled for this weekend, is now postponed to February 28. This will be the library’s first book sale since Hurricane Ian.
“We only have one pair of pants and sweaters and one long arm, so might have to do some shopping today. So that might be a good thing for Fort Myers,” said Tjelland.
Downtown businesses, like Franklin Shops, are seeing increased traffic as people look for alternative activities.
“We’re seeing a ton of more traffic because people can’t go to the beach, so they’re coming downtown, eating lunch, and going shopping,” said Hanson.
Although the Fort Myers Seafood and Music Festival is on hold, some tourists find the current temperatures a relief from colder climates. Mary Sommerfeld, who traveled from Nebraska, said, “It was last Friday, minus 25 degrees wind chill. So schools were canceled in our area. So this is balmy compared to that.”
For those planning to attend Art in the Park at Cambier Park, the Naples Art Institute has canceled the event. They are looking forward to their National Art Fair from Feb. 20-22.