The Town is planning two events on Monday, July 4, 2022, to celebrate America’s Independence Day.
The first event will be a parade that starts at 10 a.m. from Bay Oaks Recreational Campus. The address for Bay Oaks is 2731 Oak Street.
The route is from Bay Oaks to Bay Road then on Estero Boulevard through the Downtown District and back. The roads and the Matanzas Pass Bridge will be closed from about 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Public parking at Bay Oaks and the Library is not permitted from 7:30 a.m. until noon due to the streets being used for parade staging.
The second event will be a fireworks display scheduled to start at 9 p.m. The show is planned to last for 20 minutes with the fireworks launching from the pier at Times Square. The Matanzas Pass Bridge will be closed to oncoming traffic around 9 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.
Traffic and the demand for parking is expected to be heavy for both events, especially in the Downtown/Times Square/Pier areas. The Town has several hundred public parking spaces and there are some paid commercial parking lots. Parking in the right of way or on private property (unless it is a designated parking area) is not permitted.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Personal displays of fireworks are not permitted anywhere in the Town, including the beach.
General tips:
-Pay for parking in Town spaces with the Passport parking app or at www.ppprk.com
-Visit the parking page on the Town's website to see the percentage of available Town-operated spaces, which is updated three times a day by the Beach and Street Enforcement (BASE) team.
-Park at the FREE Lee County Park and Ride lot on Pine Ridge Road and ride the Trolley to Times Square - .
-Watch the fireworks from one of the Town's 29 beach accesses that are spread along Estero Boulevard toward the South end of the Island, many of which have parking.
-Town parking is available at Newton Beach Park at 4562 Strandview Avenue (mid Island) and the park has great beach access with restrooms, showers, Tiki Huts, picnic tables, and an accessible ramp for wheelchair use.
-Big Carlos Pass Bridge on the south end of Estero Island will remain open.
-Stay tuned to the Town’s Facebook and Twitter for information and updates.
-To keep everyone and property safe as well as to protect the natural beach environment, PERSONAL FIREWORKS ARE NOT PERMITTED ANYWHERE IN THE TOWN, INCLUDING THE BEACH.
-GLASS AND BOTTLES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE BEACH.
