The 12th Island Hopper Songwriter Fest starts today on Captiva Island and continues through Sept. 27 in Cape Coral, downtown Fort Myers and Fort Myers Beach.
You could watch a performer against a sunset at a Captiva Island restaurant. Or take a cruise with a singer/songwriter. Or enjoy six musicians at the Bay Street Yard in downtown Fort Myers. Those experiences are among the 80 performances by 54 artists at this year’s Island Hopper festival. Jackie Parker of the sponsoring Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau hits some of the highlights.
"So the headliner this year … is going to be LoCash. And they've got a song out right now called 'Let the Country Music Play.' And it's kind of a country reimagining of the Rupert Holmes song, 'Escape (the Pina Colada Song).'
So it's a really fun summer tune."
Alexandra Kay opens that ticketed show at the Caloosa Sound Amphitheatre. Otherwise, most of the events are free.
"There are some ticketed experiences and they range from a Sunday brunch to a songwriter dinner," Parker said. "And Unplugged at the Westin with Edwin McCain.
"You might know him from the song 'I'll Be' and 'I Couldn't Ask for More.'
"You want to check islandhopperfest.com or download the app to get that ticketed information. And tickets still are available.
"And also on Sunday, the other headliner is going to be Michael Ray and he's going to headline the closing pool party performance on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina."
The point of the festival is to boost Southwest Florida summer tourism at a usually slower time.
"That's part of why we put on Island Hopper is to help our local hospitality business during September, which is sort of traditionally a slower month," she said.
In other years, the festival has brought in as many as 20,000 visitors to Southwest Florida. Venues have reported a 10 to 15 percent increase in revenue during the festival, Parker said, with more in indirect impact that’s hard to quantify.
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