{"id":328720,"date":"2026-07-03T19:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/328720\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T19:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:46:13","slug":"fourth-of-july-parade-fireworks-return-to-fort-myers-beach-fort-myers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/328720\/","title":{"rendered":"Fourth of July parade, fireworks, return to Fort Myers Beach – FORT MYERS"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Fourth of July Parade will return to Fort Myers Beach for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. File photo<\/p>\n

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The Fourth of July parade returns to Fort Myers Beach on Saturday at 9 a.m. File photo<\/p>\n

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A Fourth of July parade will start at 10 a.m. down Estero Boulevard beginning at the Bay Oaks campus on Fort Myers Beach. File photo<\/p>\n

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Fireworks over Times Square on the Fourth of July in 2024. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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Fireworks over Times Square for the Fourth of July in 2024. Photo by Nathan Mayberg<\/p>\n

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The Fourth of July parade and fireworks show will return to Fort Myers Beach this Saturday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n

The Fourth of July parade will start on Estero Boulevard from the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus on Oaks Street 10 a.m., head down School St. and onto Estero Boulevard down to near Times Square.<\/p>\n

The parade will be followed later in the day by a \u201cFreedom by the Bay\u201d event honoring veterans at 4 p.m. with a ceremony and concert at Bayside Veterans Park off Old San Carlos Boulevard, near Snug Harbor Waterfront Restaurant. The concert will begin at 5 and run until 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

The fireworks show will take place at dusk from a barge near the Fort Myers Beach Pier close to Times Square and Lynn Hall Memorial Park, around 9 p.m. The parking lot at Lynn Hall Memorial Park is closed due to construction being conducted by contracts for Lee County for a new restroom facility.<\/p>\n

The Matanzas Pass Bridge will be closed from 9 a.m. until noon for the parade in the morning, and again at night from 9 to 11 for the fireworks.<\/p>\n

The fireworks and parade are made possible through a fundraising effort by the local business association What\u2019s Up FMB. The amount covers the fireworks, as well as other costs, such as funding for the Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office detail. The Town of Fort Myers Beach Council had cut fireworks out of its budget last year due to fiscal considerations.<\/p>\n

Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay\u2019s staff is overseeing preparations for the parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to a great day,\u201d McKannay said. \u201cWe are looking forward to everything that Fort Myers Beach is used to\u201d with the parade, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome everybody to return to Fort Myers Beach,\u201d McKannay said.<\/p>\n

McKannay, a retired U.S. Army colonel and garrison commander, said the veteran\u2019s event at Bayside Veteran\u2019s Park will honor veterans from around Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n

For McKannay, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country is a special moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all of us, it\u2019s significant. The experiment that still is the USA,\u201d McKannay said. \u201cThe 250th year is definitely something that should be proud of. For me, it\u2019s significant because I spent 30 years of my life of my life protecting those freedoms so it has extra special meaning to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fort Myers Beach Parks and Recreation Manager Neil Mathes said more than two dozen participating groups and organizations are expected to participate in the parade. The parade will start from the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus on Oaks Street and head down Estero Boulevard to the Times Square area. <\/p>\n

Dawn Miller, the co-founder of What\u2019s Up FMB, said the fundraising for the fireworks was done through the collection of donations from local businesses and individual contributions, as well as promotions by local businesses in which they donated a portion of sales for the fireworks.<\/p>\n

Miller said the first 100 veterans who attend the \u201cFreedom by the Bay\u201d veteran\u2019s ceremony at Bayside Veteran\u2019s Park, will receive a special gift from What\u2019s Up FMB. Miller said she is most excited about the \u201cFreedom by the Bay\u201d event. <\/p>\n

Miller, who also made a large donation for the fireworks with her husband Mike Miller, along with other local businessowners, said that having a fireworks show and parade was important to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no reason why we should not have the festivities this year considering it\u2019s 250 years,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWe are super-excited about it. The parade, we certainly could use some more participation in it.\u201d<\/p>\n


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