After two years of postponements due to the pandemic, Sanibel and Captiva are ready to celebrate our nation’s birthday once again, including its famous parade and fireworks!
Residents and visitors are invited to gather along Periwinkle Way early on July 4th (which is a Monday), as traffic on the street (and part of Casa Ybel Road) will be closed at 9am. The parade starts at 9:30 from the intersection with Tarpon Bay Road (near Bailey’s Shopping Center) and Casa Ybel Road (across from Jerry’s Plaza). As usual, most of the outer parking at Jerry’s will be filled with summer fun (so parking there will be limited) such as slip & slides, a bounce house, dunk tank, water slides, and Island Entertainment’s karaoke. The Boy Scouts will also be service hot dogs, snow cones, and other refreshments as part of their fundraising.
We recommend finding a location that you can comfortably walk to and from and be prepared with water, chairs, a bag for any goodies given (or thrown) by parade participants, and most of all SUNSCREEN! (It will be HOT that day!)
The parade should be finishing and the road re-opening around 11:30am, which leads into another Island tradition; the annual Road Rally (benefiting Community Housing Resources), which is actually a vehicular scavenger hunt where you are judged on time, mileage, and best decorated car. It kicks off from The Timber’s Restaurant (on Tarpon Bay Road) at noon, finishing with an after-Rally party at the same location in The Sanibel Grill. For more information on the Road Rally, please contact Randy (239-699-8739 or rcarsonan@gmail.com), Tim (941-626-2943), or Allen (239-699-9474) (Limit 50 vehicle entries).
Finally, the City of Sanibel hosts their spectacular fireworks show, visible from any vantage point of San Carlos Bay and Pine Island Sound. Probably the best way to see the show is from the water if you have a boat. By land, most people find parking *very* early on the picnic islands that make up part of the Sanibel Causeway. For safety reasons, no roadside parking is allowed (especially on the bridges, Causeway Boulevard, or Bailey Road). Another option is to book a cruise with Adventures in Paradise, which takes you out to the water for a “front row” view of the pyrotechnics (Book soon…limited seating).
We’d also like to promote purchasing a commemorative T-shirt for the event with the theme of “Red, Wild, & Blue” and featuring artwork from Sanibel artist Rachel Pierce. They can be purchased at Bank of the Islands (1699 Periwinkle Way) for $12.00
We still have a few condos available to rent, if you’re still looking to spend the holiday with Sanibel Holiday!
Book Direct & Save…and God Bless America!