Cape Coral Festivals

Cape Coral Festivals - art and music, mangoes and coconuts, owls, boats, and so much more!

You will find a festival or two pretty much every month and fun events that happen regularly, particularly during season from November - April.

I've made a festivals calendar of the ones we like to go to, listed by each month.

So grab your family .......... get out there and have some fun!

January

There are over 300 juried artists in the categories of painting, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, photography, metal works, mixed media, and fine crafts.

There are activities, sidewalk sales, and food. The festival is located on Cape Coral Pkwy near Vincennes and is free.

Merchants also take part in the activities with sidewalk sales and special offerings during this Cape Coral festival.

February

There are over 2500 burrows throughout our city.

The Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Festival has speakers and exhibitions of the owls, tours to burrows, and an art contest for Cape Coral students.

The festival is at Rotary Park, a small donation is suggested, kids under 12 are free.

The park also has walking trails, a butterfly house, playground, and dog park.

March

The festival has lots of great Irish music, and step dancing demonstrations.

You will also find crafts, games and rides, a raffle for a trip to Ireland, and Irish food.

Corned beef sandwiches and dinners, and Shepherd's Pie are featured on the menu.

The festival is held at the German American Club, a place where many Cape Coral festivals are held.

Also in March, and presented by the Cape Coral Parks & Rec, is the Sounds of Jazz and Blues at The Resort at Marina Village, which is right on the river.

Bring chairs or a blanket, enjoy the delicious food served by vendors or a delicious buffet by paying more for VIP tickets. Or come by boat, dock it, and listen from the water.

I got to see my most favorite jazz musician, Boney James, when he played at the festival a few years ago.

The festival is over a weekend at the beginning of March.

April

In April, you can go to the Cardboard Boat Regatta and Dock Dogs competitions, both happening together at Four Freedoms Park.

Anyone can join in the fun by building a cardboard boat and/or racing it.

Some of the heats are just hilarious, and some of the boats barely make it through to the end.

Then there are jumping and swimming events for dogs to compete in, all dogs are welcome.

May

With May, comes Viva Cape Coral, a celebration of Hispanic food, music, and culture.

You will find several countries in Central and South America represented along with Caribbean nations.

Vendors, kids activities, and a stage are lined up on SW 47th Terrace for an evening of eating, dancing, and fun.

Add this to your list of Cape Coral festivals to go to so you can try ethnic dishes, enjoy a little salsa, and find out more about Latino heritage.

June

For a small fee, kids can enter the contest, get free bait, some instruction, lunch, and a goody bag.

It's a lot of fun, and the kids look so cute all lined up on the pier.

July

The Cape Coral Bridge is closed off and people can walk at that end of Cape Coral Pkwy to see crafts, activities, free giveaways, tributes, and fireworks!

You can buy VIP tickets to watch the fireworks from a special area, otherwise the festival and parking is free.

There is live entertainment, and the festival can be enjoyed by land or the sea especially, where you watch all the fireworks in the area .... truly spectacular!

Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, the festival starts late in the afternoon and lasts until the fireworks end.

You will also want to check out the Great American Picnic, held at Cape Harbour.

They have a patriotic dog contest, apple pie baking contest, and a banana split eating contest for kids.

Food, music, activities add to all the fun!

Mango ice cream, smoothies, bread, salsa, and chutney ...... yum!

Put on by the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce, the festival is located at the German American Social Club, on Pine Island Rd.

You can also buy mangoes and mango trees, festival foods, crafts and kids toys.

There will be kids activities and games, music and entertainment both days of the festival.

August

Although there are no Cape Coral festivals in August, there is a "Just for Fun" local dog show at Rotary Park.

Any size dog can participate in 12 categories for awards and prizes.

It's a lot of fun for both pets and their owners, and there are vendors selling food and dog-related items.

September

Located at Jaycee Park, Peace Day in the Park is a festival to recognize World Peace Day, which promotes non-violence and global cease-fires.

Music, activities for kids, vendors, and a collaborative event with artists are all part of the festivities.

October

Held during the last two weekends in October, the festival has lots of German food, beer, music, and dancing.

Seven bands, one of them from Germany, rotate between the tent and the Bavarian Gardens.

There are crafts, souvenirs, and plenty of games, and activities for the kids including a kiddie-train.

It's a lot of fun for me to go because I lived in Austria when I was in high school, it brings back wonderful memories.

I love schnitzel! You will also find: sauerbraten, sausages, potato pancakes with applesauce, and more.

Food is served outside under the tents or inside the hall.

November

Food food food, rides, live bands including local and national acts; fireworks, crafts, games, contests, and coconuts make this festival fun for the whole family.

Friday night is usually country night, Saturday night is rock night, and Sunday has fire and hula dancers.

The festival is at Sunsplash Waterpark on Santa Barbara Blvd.

December

Downtown Cape Coral Pkwy is closed off to traffic, because there are craft, business, and food booths, lots of "moonbounce" games, and demonstrations from local dance companies.

They have snow shaped into a sled run for kids. When the Christmas tree is lit, fireworks go off and "snow machines" shoot bubble snowflakes into the crowd.

Santa arrives with fanfare to listen to Christmas wish-lists and it gets us in the Holiday spirit, which is hard to do when it's so warm outside!

The second December festival is a lot of fun, it's Cape Coral's Boat a Long Christmas Boat Parade where all the boats are decorated and lit up for Christmas.

This Cape Coral festival takes place at Four Freedoms Park, at Bimini Basin where you can gather and watch the parade of boats before they go down different canals.

The park also has Christmas music, decorated trees, crafts, food, and refreshments.

Other Cape Coral Festivals

They have live music and around 40 vendors selling crafts. We've also seen hula dancers perform there.

It's fun to go with a picnic dinner, beach blanket or chairs, and maybe a frisbee..... don't forget your camera so you can take pictures of the sunset.

Or grab a bite at the snack bar, take a walk on the pier and do some people watching!

For the second festival, Matlacha has Creative Coast Weekends on the second weekend of the month, November-April.

The art galleries and shops are open late on Friday nights with special exhibits, free snacks and refreshments, live music, and drumming.

Look for other happenings over the weekend, like art demonstrations, storytelling, and holiday events.

It's a lot of fun, we like to get ice cream, walk around and get inspired to create art ourselves to put in the galleries ............ maybe one day!

It's fun to go for for the food, biker games, vendors, live rock music, and of course, lots of motorcycles even if you don't ride.

And, Cape Coral Parkway Nights, held on the third Friday of the month, feature music, art, and entertainment at shops, restaurants, and galleries in downtown Cape Coral.

As you can see, there are so many interesting and fun Cape Coral festivals.

You may want to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, Gator Bites, if you are interested in hearing our adventures as we go to more Cape Coral festivals, try new restaurants, and try out everything that's happening in the Cape.

Or just check my Cape Coral Blog, where I post events for the upcoming week.

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