Late fall
American Sand Sculpting Championship
Master sculptors from around the world build astonishing sand art over several days — one of the largest sand-sculpting competitions in the country, and a genuine off-season draw.
Happening Now
What's going on at Fort Myers Beach
Is the pier back? Is Times Square rebuilt? What's open? What's on the calendar? These are the questions everyone asks and almost nobody answers with current, sourced information. This page does — and it says plainly when something isn't back yet.
Events & festivals
The island keeps a full calendar — festivals rooted in its shrimping history, songwriters, sand sculptors, boat parades. Here are the signature recurring events, starting with what's next, and — because we don't fake a live feed — the official calendars where you'll always find the current dates.
December
Christmas Boat Parade
Decorated, lit-up boats parade through Matanzas Pass and the back bay — a beloved island tradition you watch from the waterfront or a boat of your own.
Early spring
Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival
The island's signature event, born from its shrimping heritage — a parade, the Blessing of the Fleet, a Shrimp Queen, and a weekend that fills Estero Boulevard. If you go to one Fort Myers Beach festival, it's this one.
July 4
Independence Day fireworks
Fireworks over the Gulf, one of the biggest beach days of the year on the island.
Early fall
Island Hopper Songwriter Fest
Nashville-caliber songwriters play intimate island venues over a long weekend — part of a larger Southwest Florida festival that dedicates a stretch specifically to Fort Myers Beach.
Official calendars
Dates change year to year, so rather than publish a date that might be wrong, we send you straight to the official sources:
- Town of Fort Myers Beach — Special Events — The town's own listing — permits, road closures, and civic events.
- Fort Myers Beach Chamber — Events — The Chamber's calendar and its list of the island's major annual events.
- Visit Fort Myers — Events — The county tourism bureau's area-wide event calendar.
What's open right now
Restaurants, shops, and hotels are reopening steadily — smaller, code-compliant storefronts first — and the mix changes month to month. Rather than publish a business list that would be out of date within weeks, we point you at the source that's actually maintained day to day:
See the Chamber's current open-business list →
Source: Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce — Who's Open. We link it rather than copy it because they update it and we can't verify every business daily — and a stale “open” is worse than no list at all.
Where the big projects stand
2027
expected completion of the new pier
1
permanent Times Square building approved since Ian
Civic & infrastructure
Fort Myers Beach Pier
ApprovedThe island's most-asked-about project. Lee County awarded an $11.7 million construction contract in April 2026, federal permits were announced as approved at the end of June 2026, and the rebuilt pier is expected to take about a year to build — putting completion in 2027. The replacement is meaningfully bigger than the pier Ian destroyed.
- Length
- 1,000 feet (about 70% longer than the old pier)
- Width
- 12 feet (about 50% wider)
- Contract
- $11.7 million
- Contractor
- RJ Gorman Contracting LLC
- Funding
- $7M Tourist Development Tax (visitor 'bed tax') + $4.7M Florida Division of Emergency Management
- Federal permits
- Announced approved, June 30, 2026
- Expected completion
- 2027
- Amenities
- ADA access, bench seating, turtle-friendly lighting
Sources (4) · verified July 21, 2026
Big Carlos Pass Bridge
CompleteThe Big Carlos Pass project — the bridge at the island's south end connecting toward Lovers Key and Bonita — was marked with a ribbon-cutting on June 30, 2026. Access infrastructure matters enormously on a barrier island with only two ways on and off.
- Ribbon cutting
- June 30, 2026
- Why it matters
- South-end access route for the island
Sources (1) · verified July 21, 2026
Beach renourishment
CompleteMajor sand placement rebuilt the beach berm and widened the shoreline, with dune stabilization and vegetation work continuing on select segments. Reporting in 2026 describes the beach itself as being in as good or better shape than before the storm — the island's single most-visited asset is back.
- Scope
- Berm rebuild, widened beach, dune stabilization
- Status
- Largely complete; vegetation work ongoing
Sources (2) · verified July 21, 2026
Commercial
Times Square — first approved rebuild
ApprovedIn January 2026 the town approved the first permanent new building in Times Square since Hurricane Ian erased the district: a three-story project with an open-air ice cream shop at street level and a one-bedroom residence above. Modest in size, but a genuine milestone — it's the first structure to clear the town's post-Ian standards in the island's commercial heart.
- Approved
- January 2026
- Type
- Three stories — open-air ice cream shop + one-bedroom residence
- Why it matters
- First permanent Times Square building approved since Ian
Times Square — mixed-use development
ProposedDeveloper Shlomo Melloul filed plans in 2026 for a three-story building spanning two Times Square parcels, proposed to include retail, a restaurant, and a rooftop bar. Filed plans are not approvals — this one is worth watching as it moves through the town's process.
- Filed
- 2026
- Scope
- Three stories across two Times Square parcels
- Proposed uses
- Retail, restaurant, rooftop bar
- Status
- Plans filed — not yet built
Sources (1) · verified July 21, 2026
Hospitality
Margaritaville Beach Resort
OpenThe 254-room resort opened in December 2023 — the first large-scale hospitality anchor of the island's recovery, and the project that proved major investment would return to Fort Myers Beach. It has now operated through multiple seasons.
- Opened
- December 2023
- Rooms
- 254
- Significance
- First major post-Ian hospitality anchor
Sources (1) · verified July 21, 2026
$13M beach resort project
Under constructionA $13 million resort project was reported to begin construction on the island in early July 2026 — further evidence that hospitality capital is committing to Fort Myers Beach, not just returning to it.
- Value
- $13 million
- Construction start
- Early July 2026
Sources (1) · verified July 21, 2026
What's honestly not back yet
Lodging inventory remains below pre-Ian totals. Times Square is a construction site with one approved building and more in the pipeline, not a rebuilt district. The pier is a 2027 story, not a today story. Some parcels still sit empty while owners decide. We say all of this plainly because the case for this island doesn't need exaggeration — and because you'll find out anyway when you visit.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the biggest event on Fort Myers Beach?
- The Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival in early spring is the island's signature event — a parade, the Blessing of the Fleet, and a weekend celebration of the shrimping heritage the town was built on.
- When do Fort Myers Beach events happen?
- The island runs events year-round, clustered around the Shrimp Festival in spring, Independence Day in summer, Island Hopper and Sand Sculpting in fall, and the Christmas Boat Parade in winter. Exact dates shift each year — check the official calendars linked on this page for the current schedule.
- Are events back to normal after Hurricane Ian?
- The island's events have largely returned, but some venues are still being rebuilt and a few details move year to year. Rather than guess, we link you straight to the Town, Chamber, and county tourism calendars so you always get the current, official information.
Following the money? See Island Investment for the running total and every new building permit. For how the island got here and the people who shaped it, read the Island Story. Every status above carries its verification date — if something looks stale, tell us.