Let there be LIGHT: Edison Fest of Grand Parade 2025 dazzles Fort Myers
The Edison Festival of Light Grand Parade finally arrived Saturday night after two weeks of shows and exhibits leading up to the big event.
The streets of Fort Myers were packed with spectators who came to see the dazzling floats, the toe-tapping marching bands, the daredevil motorcyclists and the glitzy young royals from the imaginary land of "Edisonia." They cheered and clapped as more than 150 parade units passed by on Cleveland Avenue and through the streets of downtown Fort Myers.
Highlights included more than 50 decorated, illuminated floats; fire engines and police cars with their sirens blaring and lights flashing; 16 high-school marching bands; the popular daredevil traffic officers of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Motorcycle Drill Team; and the parade's grand marshal: UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz, the former mixed-martial-arts champion who now owns the Cape Coral restaurant Tito's Cantina.
The big parade is part of the annual Edison Festival of Light, a two-week celebration that began in February 1938 to honor Fort Myers' most famous winter resident, Thomas Edison.
The annual fest includes hymn sings, concerts, parades and car shows. But the biggest draw is always the Edison Festival of Light Grand Parade, which attracts thousands of spectators to downtown Fort Myers every year. Crowd estimates go as high as about 200,000.
It's one of the biggest night parades in the Southeastern United States, and also the biggest and longest-running parade in Southwest Florida.
The Edison Fest parade: All about the Fort Myers tradition and why people love it
Why the Mexican dancers skipped the parade: Popular dance group blames Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants
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 crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message on Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram and Threads (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells).
(This story has been updated to include additional photos and videos.)
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Edison parade in Fort Myers: Photos, video of the Festival of Light event
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