Southwest Festivals

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Opening night at the Sarasota Film Festival

Photo Credit: Contributed Photo

Taste, feel and see the fun at these Southwest Florida festivals.

What To Do: From swamp buggies to international film, Southwest Florida celebrates its culture and heritage with unabashed festivity. For a taste of the fun, plan your visit around one (or more) of these food- and music-filled weekends.


What: Sharks Tooth & Seafood Festival, Venice, 941-412-0402
What weekend: Second in April
What fun! Food, fossils and seafood.
What on earth? Venice’s beaches are known for their fossilized sharks’ teeth.
What accommodations: Inn at the Beach, 800-255-8471, www.innatthebeach.com


What: Sarasota Film Festival, Sarasota, 941-364-9514; www.sarasotafilmfestival.com
What weekend: First two in April
What fun! Free outdoor film screenings, big-name celebs and gala parties.
What accommodations: Hyatt Sarasota, 800-233-1234, sarasota.hyatt.com

What: Sugar Festival, Clewiston, 863-983-7979, www.clewiston.org/festival.htm

What weekend: Third in April

What fun! Country music, sweet treats, bass tournament and sugarcane grinding.
What on earth? Cane fields surround “America’s Sweetest Town.”
What accommodations: Clewiston Inn, 800-749-4466, www.clewistoninn.com

What: MangoMania, Pine Island, 239-283-4842, www.floridascreativecoast.com
What weekend: Weekend after July 4
What fun! A wacky hat parade, exotic fruit creations, mango-toss and Mr. MangoHead.
What on earth? Pine Island grows mangoes and other tropical fruits like crazy.

What: Swamp Buggy Races Festival, Naples, 800-897-2701, www.swampbuggy.com
What weekend: Jan. 29-30, March 5-6, Oct. 29-30
What fun! Swamp Buggy Parade, mud races and dunking the Swamp Buggy Queen.
What on earth? Invented for the Everglades, souped-up swamp buggies, with their big, fat tires, are
the local monster truck equivalent.