Fort Myers things to do: Disney on Ice, Shrimp Fest, PRIDE Cape Coral
Here are 10 awesome things to do this March in Lee County, including Disney On Ice and the Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival.
- The 67th-annual festival brings all kinds of shrimp-related activities to the island this weekend.
- The fun includes a parade, the Blessing of the Fleet, an arts-and-crafts fair and a shrimp-eating contest.
- The week-long Shrimp Crawl features shrimp-themed drinks and dishes at many Beach bars and restaurants.
They call it “pink gold” — juicy, delicious shrimp pulled from the Gulf and served on plates across Southwest Florida and the rest of the country, too.
Now it’s time to celebrate that pink gold with the Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival. The 67th-annual event brings all kinds of shrimp-related activities to the island this weekend, March 8-9, including a parade, the annual Blessing of the Fleet, an arts-and-crafts fair and a shrimp-eating contest. There’s also a week-long Shrimp Crawl featuring shrimp-themed drinks and dishes at many Beach bars and restaurants.
The fest shines a spotlight on the island’s enduring shrimp industry, still recovering after taking a major hit from Hurricane Ian in 2022. Erickson & Jensen Seafood ― the last major Beach shrimping company still standing — provides all the shrimp for the festival.
“This is so important,” co-organizer Shelby Stites said in 2024. “Because it’s local pink gold. It’s what made Fort Myers Beach into what it is today.”
Proceeds from the fest benefit the Lions Club’s various charities. “It all goes back into the local community for those in need,” Stites said.
Here’s a closer look at what’s happening during this year’s Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival:
Arts & Crafts Fair
The fest’s annual arts-and-crafts fair takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, between First and Third streets on Old San Carlos Boulevard near Bayside Park.
Visitors can shop for handmade art, crafts and other goods from about 100 vendors; buy official Shrimp Festival T-shirts; or eat shrimp, coleslaw and “world famous cocktail sauce” from the Lions Club’s Pink Gold Shrimp Boil (returning for the first time in several years).
The fair also coincides with the town’s weekly Bayside Park Concert Series. Live bands are scheduled to perform from 4-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Stites says.
Shrimp Crawl: Shrimp’s on the menu at Fort Myers Beach bars, restaurants
In this newer event, shrimp lovers buy a passport and take it to any of 16 participating Beach bars and restaurants for various shrimp-themed food and drinks. The passports cost $5 each.
Once they get at least six passport stamps, they can turn in their raffle ticket at the Lions Club T-shirt booth at the arts-and-crafts fair, Tunaskin Aquatic Apparel or Erickson & Jensen Seafood. The deadline for turning in passports is 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 9. The tickets will be drawn for more than 40 prizes donated by Beach businesses.
The Shrimp Crawl goes through March 9. Menu items include shrimp breakfast burritos, shrimp salad, peel-and-eat shrimp, shrimp po’boys, shrimp tacos and shrimp and grits.
Passports are available at Tunaskin Aquatic Apparel, Erickson & Jensen Seafood and the Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
Matanzas Bridge closes for Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival parade, Yo! Taco Shrimp Run 5K
The two-hour Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival Parade starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 8, and travels about two miles along Estero Boulevard from Fort Myers Beach Elementary School to the base of the Matanzas Bridge.
To prepare for the parade ― and also a 9 a.m. 5K run ― the Matanzas Bridge will be closed from 9 a.m. to about noon. People can still access Fort Myers Beach from the southern end of the island.
Parade goers should get there early, though. “Traffic starts at about 7:30,” Stites said last year. “If you’re not in line, you’re not getting over unless it’s by foot.”
The parade typically draws thousands of people to the island to see the Queen’s Pageant “princesses,” law-enforcement vehicles, floats from various Beach businesses and more.
Beach Talk Radio will broadcast live and also stream video of the parade on its website and Facebook page.
To register for the Yo! Taco Shrimp Run 5K, visit tinyurl.com/4xk93kr4. Registration is $35 for adults, $20-$25 for younger. The run is presented by Cypress Lake High School and the Cypress Lake High School Athletic Booster Club.
Blessing of the Fleet at the Fort Myers Beach shrimp docks
A big part of the annual shrimp festival is the Blessing of the Fleet, where a St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church priest blesses the shrimp boats at the Fort Myers Beach docks.
The Blessing of The Fleet starts with a traditional church service at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 9 at the Erickson & Jensen Seafood shrimp boat docks, 1100 Shrimp Boat Lane. Then, at 11 a.m., there will be a dedicated service just for the shrimp fest.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own chairs.
Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival Queen’s Pageant
Young local “princesses” compete to wear a sparkly shrimp-queen crown in the long-running Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival Queen’s Pageant. They also compete for other titles, including People’s Choice, Miss Photogenic, Miss Personality.
The Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival Queen’s Pageant starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Bayside Park. All contestants are 15-20 years old.
At the end of the event, 2024 winner Emma Tharp will turn over her crown to the new queen.
Shrimp-eating contest
How much shrimp can you eat in eight minutes? These contestants are about to find out.
In this annual event, 10 sponsored participants — including fan favorites such as “Long Prawn Silver” and “Snack Jack” — try to wolf down the most peeled, boiled shrimp they can. All they get to eat with it is water and cocktail sauce.
“It’s whoever can eat the most shrimp in eight minutes, or whoever finishes three pounds of shrimp first,” Stites said in 2024. “They’re pre-peeled, so they don’t have to do anything but shove’em down.”
The competition starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 9, at The Whale, 1249 Estero Blvd.
More about the Fort Myers Beach Lions Club Shrimp Festival
For more information about the shrimp festival and all its events, visit fortmyersbeachshrimpfestival.com or facebook.com/ShrimpFestFMB.
Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email him at [email protected]. (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
