February is flush with festivals in Southwest Florida. In Everglades City, the Everglades Seafood Festival promises fresh catches and mouthwatering bites. In Bonita Springs, a national art festival features coveted works from juried artists. And, in Fort Myers, the Edison Festival of Light honors one of the city’s most influential figures. Throw in Broadway shows, experimental theater and a Willie Nelson performance to solidify your February plans.
Now through April 27
Borrowed from Our Children: Seventy Years of the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Exhibit at Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch
A photographic exhibition pays tribute to 70 years of the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, saved from deforestation by visionaries. Explore the conservation area’s 13,450 acres through photographs. Find Out More
Now through May 11
We Are Still Here; The Continuing Story of the Miccosukee Tribe Exhibit at Museum of the Everglades, Everglades City
The museum’s first collaborative exhibit with the Miccosukee Tribe explores the tribe’s past, present and future through images and artifacts. Learn about the Miccosukee people’s accomplishments, culture and other facets of their still unfolding story. Find Out More
Feb. 2 and 3
Adam Carolla at Off the Hook Comedy Club, Naples
Guinness World Records judged his podcast the most downloaded in 2011, and iTunes named it in the top 20 podcasts in 2018. The Adam Carolla Show exhibits the comedian’s talent as a funny man, actor and radio personality. Known for his improv skills, the comedian has committed to taking the stage with no pre-written jokes. Find Out More
Feb. 2-4
ArtFest Fort Myers in the historic downtown
The long-running annual tradition opens with the symphonic sounds of pops and continues for three days with food, a 5k, family activities and art for all. The Gulf Coast Symphony performs a free concert Friday evening as 200 juried artists from around the world set up their work in all mediums and price ranges. Local students compete in Art Under 20 and Chalk Block events. Find Out More
Feb. 2-4
Everglades Seafood Festival, Everglades City
The Nashville country music band Lonestar headlines three days of live performances and heaps of glorious local seafood. The beloved festival attracts tens of thousands of revelers each year to dig into stone crabs and other delicacies as they relish a sense of community, family and culture. This year’s History & Heritage Days festival components shine a spotlight on the local Miccosukee Tribe with crafting and cooking—and an alligator wrestling exhibition. Find Out More
Feb. 2-11
Tick, Tick, Boom! at Fort Myers Theatre
The time bomb known as aging forms the framework of this production, based on an autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson. At the threshold of his 30th birthday, a theater composer questions his career choice as he navigates the millennial world of love and friendship. Find Out More
Feb. 3
Cars on Fifth Concours at Fifth Avenue South, Naples
A highlight of the four-day Naples Automotive Experience, Saturday’s event brings more than 400 luxury vehicles—including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and Porsches—to Downtown Naples’ main drag for ogling and aspiring. Find Out More
Feb. 3 and 4
Iolanthe at Wang Opera Center, Naples
Opera Naples’ resident artists present the comedic story of a fairy who has fallen in love with a mortal and the repercussions it creates for her and her half-fairy, half-mortal son. Find Out More
Feb. 6
Miami City Ballet at Artis—Naples
Naples Philharmonic performs with the world-class ballet company, with classically inspired numbers and new works by Miami City choreographer Durante Berzola. Find Out More
Feb. 6 — March 3
Proof at Players Circle Theatre, Fort Myers
The Tony and Pulitzer award-winning play explores love, family relationships and mental illness. The play inspired the 2005 movie by the same name, starring Gwyneth Paltrow as the daughter of a brilliant but mentally disturbed mathematician, played by Anthony Hopkins. Find Out More
Feb. 7
Willie Nelson & Family at Seminole Casino, Immokalee
A tour de force in the world of music for seven decades, Willie Nelson continues, at age 90, to make history with new music, a documentary, a book and a concert tour to celebrate his birthday. On November 3, the artist was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Keep an eye out for to-be-announced musicians accompanying Willie in the outdoor performance. Find Out More
Feb. 7-25
The Queen of Bingo at Arts Center Theatre, Marco Island
Two sisters shake up their world as they discover the joys of bingo and life’s challenges after 50—hot flashes, diet crazes, widowhood and all. At each performance, the audience joins in on a bingo game, and one guest wins every time. Find Out More
Feb. 8
Vienna Boys Choir at Tribby Arts Center, Fort Myers
Rooted in the 15th century and Holy Roman Emperor, the famed Vienna Boys Choir today consists of 100 singers ages 10 to 14. Divided into four touring choirs, they give as many as 300 concerts and performances each year in front of almost half a million people, its repertoire including everything from medieval to contemporary and experimental music. Find Out More
Feb. 8-18
Million Dollar Quartet at G&L Theater, TheatreZone, Naples
Capturing a hallmark moment in music history, it chronicles the one-and-only jam session of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins at Memphis’ Sun Records in December 1956. Find Out More
Feb. 9
Gulfshore Opera’s 10th Anniversary at Mooring’s Presbyterian Church, Naples
In demand in opera houses worldwide, Michael Fabiano is famous for his intense performances and commanding stage presence. In celebration of the group’s 10th anniversary, he appears for one night only to perform some of his most passionate arias, along with GO professional artists. Find Out More
Feb. 10 and 11
Bonita Springs National Art Festival at Riverside Park
Top-rated among fine-art festivals in the U.S., the Arts Bonita event brings more than 200 juried artists to display and sell their wares, from paintings to jewelry and sculpture—16 categories of artwork in all. Find Out More
Feb. 10 — June 16
George Gershwin and Modern Art: A Rhapsody in Blue at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum
We all recognize Gershwin as a musical genius, but few know he was also an accomplished painter and an avid collector. This exhibit—the first dedicated to his love of visual arts—showcases the composer’s paintings, drawings and photographs, along with his collection of Chagalls, Picassos and Noguchis. Find Out More
Feb. 12-18
Chubb Classic at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón Golf Club, Naples
Golf hall-of-famers and other legends gather at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón’s Black Course for Naples’ flagship PGA TOUR Champions event to compete for a $1.8 million purse. In its 37th year, it is the longest-standing PGA tournament held continuously at the same metropolitan location. Find Out More
Feb. 15 and 16
Nate Bargazte: The Be Funny Tour at Hertz Arena, Estero
Hot off his success hosting NBC’s Saturday Night Live, the standup comic brings his clean, relatable humor to Southwest Florida audiences. In addition to his “Nateland” podcast, Nate Bargazte has made a name for himself in streaming platforms with comedy specials The Tennessee Kid, Greatest Average American and The Stand-ups. His ‘The Be Funny Tour’ is selling out worldwide. Find Out More
Feb. 15 — March 10
Into the Breeches! at Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples
Catch this feel-good comedy about a group of inexperienced but determined actresses who stage a Shakespeare production of Henry IV, Part I, Part II and Henry V at the dawn of World War II. While the director and his troupe of men are deployed, his wife and female cast take the reins to produce an all-women show. Find Out More
Feb. 16
An Evening With Jacki Lyden at the Arsenault Gallery, Naples
The award-winning journalist and former NPR host speaks on her career and memoir, Daughter of the Queen of Sheba, which explores the writer’s childhood experiences living with a mother who struggled with manic depression. The event supports Collier County Waterkeeper. Find Out More
Feb. 16-18
Annual Orchid Show, Naples Botanical Garden
The Naples Orchid Society Annual Show & Sale fills the garden with orchid displays, opportunities to watch orchid-care demonstrations and growers selling their flowering plants. Special prize-winning blossoms are on display in Kapnick Hall. Volunteers from the Naples Orchid Society and American Orchid Society are on hand to answer questions and host pop-up programs. Find Out More
Feb. 10 and 11, 17 and 18
Edison Festival of Light 5K Run & Grand Parade, Fort Myers
One of the region’s oldest and most iconic annual festivals, it celebrates the shining luminary from Fort Myers’ past—Thomas Edison and his contributions to the city and the world. Weekend one brings fun for the kiddos with a junior fun run and exhibits. The celebration continues the following week with a craft fair and 5k (with more than 1,000 participants), culminating with a nighttime lighted parade through downtown streets and a fireworks display. Find Out More
Feb. 17
South Cape Mardi Gras Trolley Event, Cape Coral
Don your beads and mask and get ready to board the Mardi Gras Trolley for a cocktail and sweets tour of Downtown Cape Coral. About a dozen local establishments participate with specialty drinks and treats—including a tropical caketini at Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill and a blackberry martini at BackStreets Sports Bar—plus live entertainment and dancing. Find Out More
Feb. 20-25
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers
The Broadway wonder revisits the smoldering tale of youthful innocence, racial tension and righteous integrity set in Alabama in the mid-1930s. Adapted by Emmy Award-winning producer Aaron Sorkin, the new play stars Richard Thomas, of TV’s The Waltons fame, as Atticus Finch. Find Out More
Feb. 20 — March 3
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical at Artis—Naples and Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers
The Broadway show follows the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s barrier-breaking journey. Orchestrated by the singer’s greatest hits, the musical follows the artist’s journey from her tumultuous early years to her record-breaking career. Catch the Broadway tour in Naples from February 20 to 25, followed by a February 27 to March 3 engagement in Fort Myers.
For Artis—Naples venue details: Click Here
For Barbara B. Mann venue details: Click Here
Feb. 21
Anna Kincaide: One-Woman Show at Gardner Colby Gallery, Naples
The gallery regular returns with a show that displays her love of design and fashion, with flower-filled figurative interpretations of faceless women. Find Out More
Feb. 23-25
National Art Fair at Cambier Park, Naples
High-quality works from some 250 juried artists in 17 categories earn their spot at the National Art Fair, in its 45th year in Downtown Naples, featuring intricate sculptures, woodwork, jewelry and watercolors, among others. More than 20,000 people visit the festive affair presented by the Naples Art Institute, steps off Naples’ legendary Fifth Avenue South dining and shopping district. Find Out More
Feb. 23 — March 17
Ride the Cyclone at The Laboratory Theater of Florida, Fort Myers
Darkly humorous, the musical takes audiences on a rollercoaster revolving around the death of six Canadian teenagers on a faulty carnival ride. In a bizarre twist of cosmic fate, the six are pitted against one another in a storytelling contest for a chance to return to life. These performances are rated PG-13 for the show’s horror themes and mature subject matter. Find Out More
Feb. 29 — March 10
Festival Under the Stars, Naples
Opera Naples presents its fourth annual outdoor opera festival with internationally known performers and about 3,000 people filling Cambier Park. Don’t miss the dedication to the late maestro, Luciano Pavarotti, as part of the organization’s collaboration with The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation. Find Out More
