82nd Edison Festival of Light parade takes place Saturday night

This weekend the largest night parade in Southwest Florida will take over downtown Fort Myers when crowds flock to the area for the Edison Festival of Light Parade.

If you have been downtown Fort Myers recently you have probably noticed all the duct tape. For some families, that is part of the tradition— to mark their parade spots weeks in advance.

The tape even extends down the sides of US 41 where two miles of the road will be closed starting at 5 pm on Saturday for the 82nd Festival of Lights Parade.

The floats will depart from Fort Myers High School at 7 pm and go northbound on US 41 until it reaches Main Street— then the parade will move into downtown, turning left onto Hendry Street to go down toward the marina.

Then they will take a little stretch of Edwards to Jackson Street and wrap up at Second Street.

You’ll notice a few new things in the parade this year, including helicopters and other aircraft from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Lee Mosquito Control.