Festival hops to Fort Myers Beach
The sixth annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest finishes up in downtown Fort Myers today and then hops to Fort Myers Beach this weekend.
In collaboration with BMI, the organization behind music royalties, Cat Country 107.1, iHeart Media, and the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, the event has bounded from Captiva to Fort Myers, and will continue at various Beach venues beginning Friday.
Venues include Cabanas Beach Bar at the Diamondhead Resort, Matanzas on the Bay, Nervous Nellie’s, Lighthouse Tiki Bar, Pierside Grill and Famous Blowfish Bar, Yucatan Beach Stand, The Pink Shell Resort, and Pinchers Fort Myers Beach Tiki Bar.
“We’re so excited to host it again this year. We’ve done things a little different and cleared out the side patio where our fountain used to be. It’ll have two bars outside just for the festival and we’re running specials throughout the weekend,” said Faiza Shariff, event coordinator for Nervous Nellie’s said.
Most of the venues participating have done so for the life of the event.
“We think it’s an amazing opportunity for us to host, it’s been an amazing event every year to date. We’ve got two of the headliners this year, and we’re giving free access to the shows we’re hosting to anyone who is staying at the resort, which we expect to sell out of, both rooms and tickets,” said Bill Waichulis, Sr. VP of Operations for the Pink Shell Resort.
The festival has a history of having some of the most well-known songwriters in the last 30 years coming and sharing their music.
Scheduled shows are usually in 30 minute to hour blocks, but be prepared for any amount of surprises. Since most of the performers are familiar with each other, attendees are often treated to collaborations among multiple artists during their sets, a unique treat with this much talent.
“It’s something to mark the start of season, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of it. I just want everyone to come out and have a good, safe time,” Shariff said.