Although Fort Myers is the county seat of Lee County and the most recognizable city name in the region, Southwest Florida Gay Pride takes place across the Caloosahatchee River in Cape Coral, which is also a larger community, with a rapidly growing population of approximately 180,000 compared to 65,000 in Fort Myers. Southwest Florida Pride takes place in Fort Myers in October at the Alliance for the Arts.
Southwest Florida Gay Pride takes place in early October – this year’s date is October 8, 2016 and runs from noon to 7 p.m.
Cape Coral has grown rapidly in recent years, having a smaller population in 1980 than its historic neighbor. Both areas are flanked by popular Gulf of Mexico beach communities, including Pine Island and the beautiful crescent-shaped Sanibel Island, and vacationers and retirees continue to flock to this part of the state, as they do right for the I-75 in the city of Naples.
It is by no means as popular with LGBT visitors as southeastern Florida cities like Fort Lauderdale and Miami, or even St. Petersburg 110 miles north, Fort Myers and Cape Coral have ever-growing gay communities.
Fort Myers Gay Resources – Cape Coral Gay Resources
Information on the local GLBT scene can be found in the Fort Myers Gay Bars and Restaurants Guide. You’ll also find lots of information on hotels and resorts in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and the surrounding coastline by visiting the official Fort Myers and Sanibel Beaches tourism site.