Ten Days of Live Music Kick Off Across Coastal Stages Today
Bonita Springs, FL · September 18, 2026
Tuning up acoustic guitars out along the barrier islands is about the best soundtrack you could ask for this Friday. If you are keeping closer to your own backyard, there is no shortage of live rhythm and weekend prep waiting outside.
The Lead
The 11th Annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest begins its ten-day run across Southwest Florida today, anchoring its opening weekend on Captiva Island before rolling down the coastline. Organized alongside BMI, the festival brings more than 60 celebrated singer-songwriters—the craftsmen behind major country, rock, and pop radio hits—into intimate, casual waterfront venues for mostly free acoustic sets and storytelling.
For local music lovers, making the short scenic drive north offers a front-row seat to world-class writers performing their own work before crowds expand next week into downtown Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach. Beyond the free daytime stages, organizers have added a handful of specialty ticketed pool parties and sunset shows that routinely sell out. Grab the festival app now to chart your listening route and snag remaining reserved seats before the weekend rush.
Local Pulse
County Slows Comprehensive Growth Plan Review City Hall Commissioners postponed voting on major long-term development updates until later this fall to allow more resident feedback.
Express Car Wash Opens Tamiami Location Business The new conveyor wash opened along South Tamiami Trail, offering free washes that generate donations for local families.
School District Files For Contract Impasse Schools District leadership initiated formal state mediation after five months of deadlocked compensation negotiations with the teachers union.
Today's Outlook
- High 90°F · Low 74°F — Rain showers (45% chance of precipitation)
- Keep an umbrella handy for scattered afternoon showers as temperatures peak near ninety degrees.
What's On Around Town
Today
Coastal Cleanup Supply Pickup Bonita Springs City Hall (9101 Bonita Beach Rd SE), 9:00 AM–1:00 PM · Free Grab cleanup kits and route maps for Saturday's countywide shoreline drive.
Bruce Teller Live The Center Bar, 6:00–9:00 PM · Free Acoustic covers and cocktails outdoors in the Promenade's central courtyard.
Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks Tribute The Stage (9144 Bonita Beach Rd SE), 6:30 PM · Paid High-energy classic rock tribute hits on the open-air dinner stage.
Tomorrow
- International Coastal Cleanup Lovers Key State Park (8700 Estero Blvd), Fort Myers Beach, 8:00–11:00 AM · Free
- 5th Annual Oktoberfest Party Hopsized Brewing Company (9201 Cockleshell Ct), 10:00 AM–6:00 PM · Free
- Yates McKendree Band Arts Bonita Performing Arts Center (10150 Bonita Beach Rd SE), 7:30 PM · Paid
Sunday
- Flamingo Island Flea Market Flamingo Island Flea Market (11902 Bonita Beach Rd SE), 8:00 AM–4:00 PM · Free
- Friendly Forest Fall Festival Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium (3450 Ortiz Ave), Fort Myers, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM · $13
- Oktoberfest Celebration Day Two Hopsized Brewing Company (9201 Cockleshell Ct), Noon–6:00 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Farmer Mike's U-Pick
- Tucked along Morton Avenue, this 100-acre family farm has cultivated more than 100 varieties of fresh produce and flowers across three decades. With the farm store reopening this week, the fields are quietly prepping for the autumn harvest.
Bonita Springs Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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