Fort Myers Beach Pirate Fest sails on, despite Hurricane Irma

The 12th annual Fort Myers Beach Pirate Festival is happening next month, after all.

Organizers with the Greater Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce cancelled the event Monday morning, blaming the aftereffects of Hurricane Irma.  But they changed their minds after what Chamber President Jacki Liszak called “the outpouring of support we received from this morning’s cancellation announcement.”

Now the fest will sail on as planned October 6-8 — just with a modified schedule and format.

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“We feel that with a modified schedule and format, our Pirate Fest weekend will still bring much needed stress relief and normalcy to our residents and guests, while allowing our businesses to rebound from the hurricane’s financial impact," Liszak wrote in her 6 p.m. Monday press release, “The focus of our island right now is getting our business and residential life back to normal, and we are working with limited resources.”

The fest will take place with several changes, including “a number of elements that we will not be able to provide this year,” Liszak wrote. The release didn’t specify what those changes will be, however, other than these two details: Admission will be free, and the event will be spaced out along Old San Carlos Boulevard.

For updates and more information, visit fmbpiratefest.com.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (News-Press) (Facebook), @charlesrunnells (Twitter), @crunnells1 (Instagram)