Annual Edison Festival of Light

Followers of Marco Escapes know that we can get almost obsessive about “excellence.” It is the single most compelling standard we consider when evaluating whether or not to add a Marco Island property to Marco Escapes’ portfolio of rental vacation homes. Sometimes our pursuit of excellence takes us off of Marco Island. Such an event is just around corner, speaking in terms of time, and not much farther in distance.

It’s the annual Edison Festival of Light, the principal event of which is the Grand Parade. The month-long festival, which is underway already honors Southwest Florida’s most celebrated winter resident, Thomas Alva Edison. It is hard to imagine anyone who has had a more profound influence on the way we live today. Imagine life without electric lights just for starters.

The Grand Parade takes place at our near north neighbor, Fort Myers on February 16 at 7 PM. Yes, the Edison Festival is a night-time parade – sometimes known as the largest after dark parade in the world – with light floats and marching bands from around the country.

The parade route runs from the Fort Myers High School stadium to the downtown River District. Viewing sites along the route are highly coveted, although tickets are available for grandstand seats. If you are on Marco Island during the festival, contact Edison Festival.org for more information. If you are not here, you may want to plan to visit in February next year.

By the way, not to take anything away from the festival, a visit to the Edison-Ford Winter Estate is another journey into the excellence of this remarkable man and his good friend, automotive industrialist, Henry Ford. It can be combined with a drive to Fort Myers for the Edison Festival.