What To Do This Weekend in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Marco Island, and Fort Myers

Looking for things to do this weekend in Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Marco Island? The last full weekend of October is one of the busiest of the month: the Naples Stone Crab Festival fills the Tin City waterfront, Boo at the Zoo closes out its run at the Naples Zoo, the Naples International Film Festival screens through Sunday, the Florida Everblades host the Atlanta Gladiators at Hertz Arena, and the Gulf Coast Symphony plays The Lord of the Rings in concert. Here is what is on the calendar for October 23-25.

Friday, October 23

Estero: Everblades host the Atlanta Gladiators

Friday night, the Florida Everblades host the Atlanta Gladiators at Hertz Arena on Everblades Parkway in Estero, puck drop at 7:30 PM. The team has designated the game Blackout Night, with specialty jerseys and a magnet giveaway for the first fans in the building. Tickets are on the Hertz Arena events page. The arena anchors the Estero sports and entertainment district, and our Estero area guide covers the communities around it.

Fort Myers: Candlelight Halloween Classics at the Music & Arts Community Center

Friday night, the Music & Arts Community Center, home of the Gulf Coast Symphony on Shire Lane, hosts Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics, a candlelit concert of spooky and cinematic favorites. Tickets start around $54 and are on the Fever event page. If you are getting to know Fort Myers, our Fort Myers area guide introduces the neighborhoods around the venue and the rest of the city.

Naples: the film festival opens

The Naples International Film Festival runs Thursday through Sunday, October 22-25, with screenings at Artis-Naples on Pelican Bay Boulevard and at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at Mercato in North Naples. The 18th annual edition includes narrative features, documentaries, and shorts from around the world, with individual screenings from about $15. The full schedule and tickets are on the Artis-Naples film festival page. The festival venues sit in the Pelican Bay and North Naples areas covered in our Naples area guide.

Saturday, October 24

Naples: the Stone Crab Festival at Tin City

The Naples Stone Crab Festival is the headline of the weekend. It runs Saturday from 10 AM to 9:30 PM and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM at Tin City on the Naples waterfront, with fresh stone crab claws and other seafood, live music, arts and crafts vendors, and food trucks along the marina. Admission is free; food and drinks are pay-as-you-go. The City of Naples Stone Crab Festival page has the details. Tin City sits at the edge of Old Naples, a neighborhood covered in our Naples area guide.

Naples: Boo at the Zoo closes its run

Boo at the Zoo at the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens runs its final weekend Saturday and Sunday, October 24-25, from 9 AM to 4:30 PM, with a third day Monday, October 26. It is the zoo's family Halloween event: costumed characters, trick-or-treating for kids 12 and under, and live shows along the garden paths, included with regular zoo admission of about $27 for adults and $18 for children 3 to 12. Tickets and details are on the Naples Zoo Boo at the Zoo page. The zoo sits on Goodlette-Frank Road near the Gordon River, a few minutes from downtown; our Naples area guide covers the surrounding neighborhoods.

Farmers markets across the five areas

Saturday morning has a market for every corner of the region. In Old Naples, the Third Street South Farmers Market runs 7:30 to 11:30 AM year-round, with produce, flowers, and baked goods along the street; hours are on the Third Street South market page. Up in North Naples, the Vanderbilt Farmers Market at the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt runs Saturdays 8 AM to 1 PM. In Fort Myers, the Fort Myers Farmers Market takes over the Downtown Culinary District on First Street from 9 AM to 1 PM, listed on the City of Fort Myers calendar. And in Bonita Springs, the Bonita Springs Farmers Market runs every Saturday through May at the Promenade at Bonita Bay, 8 AM to noon; the season's hours are on the Promenade at Bonita Bay market page. For a look at the neighborhoods behind each market, our Naples area guide and this comparison of North Naples versus downtown Naples cover Old Naples and the north side.

Fort Myers: The Lord of the Rings in Concert

Saturday evening, the Gulf Coast Symphony performs The Lord of the Rings in Concert at the Music & Arts Community Center on Shire Lane, with screenings of the film's score performed live by the orchestra at 6 and 8 PM. It is the kind of night that works for the whole family. Tickets and details are on the Gulf Coast Symphony page. The venue is in south Fort Myers, a short drive from the neighborhoods covered in our Fort Myers area guide.

Naples: more film festival screenings

The Naples International Film Festival continues Saturday with a full day of screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse at Mercato and on the Artis-Naples campus. It is a good way to spend an afternoon between the farmers market and the Stone Crab Festival. The Artis-Naples film festival page lists showtimes and tickets.

Sunday, October 25

Naples: the Stone Crab Festival wraps up

The Naples Stone Crab Festival closes Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM at Tin City, so there is still a full day of seafood, live music, and waterfront strolling. It is also an easy day to explore an area you might be considering for a move. Drive through Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, or the communities on Marco Island to get a feel for day-to-day life, and if you are relocating to Southwest Florida, our relocation guide walks through what to expect.

Naples: one more day of Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo runs its final day Sunday, 9 AM to 4:30 PM, so families still have a full day of trick-or-treating and live shows before the event closes for the season. If you are weighing which area of Naples fits your family best, this look at North Naples versus downtown Naples is a practical place to start.

Naples: the film festival closes

Sunday is the final day of the Naples International Film Festival, with last screenings at the Alamo Drafthouse at Mercato and on the Artis-Naples campus. The Artis-Naples film festival page has the closing-day schedule.

Marco Island: a quiet weekend on the island

Marco Island is quieter this weekend, which makes it a good choice if you want a slow day. The island's farmers market runs Wednesdays during its November-to-April season, so it is closed this weekend, and most of the festival action is in Naples. Tigertail Beach is a reliable spot for a morning walk and shelling. If you are weighing island life, our Marco Island area guide and this Naples versus Marco Island comparison are practical places to start.

This Week's Community Spotlight: Books on Third

Each week Catalina features a local business that makes Southwest Florida special. This week it is Books on Third in downtown Naples, an independent bookstore at 1300 3rd Street South, Suite 201, in the historic Third Street South district, with a 4.8-star rating on Yelp. It carries roughly 16,000 new books in a light-filled space on the second floor of the Balcony Boutiques, and its book clubs and author events have made it a gathering place for the neighborhood. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 7 PM and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM, which makes it an easy stop before or after the Stone Crab Festival, a few blocks from Tin City. Read the full Naples Community Spotlight, or explore the area through our Naples area guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

A note from the author: I'm Catalina Quintero, a bilingual REALTOR with The Miranda Group at Premiere Plus Realty, Co., serving Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Marco Island. Every week I put this guide together from dated, published event listings, so things can shift and it always pays to confirm the official pages before you head out. If you're exploring Southwest Florida with a move in mind, email or text me any time.