For most of the last decade, the sand sculptures went up at the quiet end of the island. The American Sand Sculpting Championship was held on the beach behind the Wyndham Garden at 6890 Estero Blvd., near Lovers Key. Local coverage places it there in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019. This year the 36th championship runs Nov. 19–23 at 2000 Estero Blvd. The Illuminations lantern parade, now in its second year, steps off on Nov. 7 from 2307 Estero Blvd.
Those two addresses sit about three hundred house numbers apart. In 2026, the island's two signature November events share one short run of Estero Boulevard between the Estero Island Beach Club and the Neptune Inn, and the beach the sculptors left behind is getting a new kind of tenant.
The Championship's Old Beach Is Getting a Restaurant on Wheels
The Fort Myers Beach Talk reported in November 2025 that the championship went on hiatus from the island for two years after Hurricane Ian and the loss of the Wyndham Garden Hotel. It came back in 2024 behind the DiamondHead Beach Resort.
The old Wyndham parcel has its own plan now. In September, Town Council unanimously approved a two-phase project at 6890 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach Talk reported. The first phase is a restaurant run out of six mobile units, which must be removable within four hours of a hurricane watch. A pole-barn restaurant, a tiki bar, restrooms and a water recreation area would follow once a wave mitigation wall is completed. The approval came with parking terms: about 160 spaces in the first phase, plus a later valet-only shared lot that other island businesses with valet service could use. The site borders the Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area, where dogs are not allowed.
No opening date has been announced. For now, the south end's November beach is a construction question, and the competition belongs to the north end.
Year Three Behind DiamondHead, With Twice the Sand
The 2024 return at DiamondHead "surpassed attendance expectations," general manager Neil Hopgood told Fort Myers Beach Talk. For 2025 the event doubled its footprint by adding the beach of the neighboring Estero Island Beach Club. Last year's event drew more than 15,000 people, according to the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce.
That expanded site carries over to 2026. Here is how this year compares with last year:
| 2025 championship | 2026 championship | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Thursday through Monday | Nov. 19–23, Thursday through Monday |
| Sculptors | 27 artists, 21 competing | 29 sculptors: 12 masters, 12 advanced amateurs |
| Paid-day admission | $5, or $25 for a group of six | $8 in advance, $10 at the gate |
| Thursday | Free, sponsored by Gavin's Ace Hardware | Free, sponsor listed as TBD |
This year's theme marks the nation's 250th birthday: "Stars, Stripes & Sand: Sculpting the American Story." The 2026 field comes from 10 states and five countries: the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands and England. Last year's top master sculptors were Todd Pangborn for "Intro Spect," John Gowdy for "Monkeying Around" and Matt Diebert for "The Fence." People's Choice went to Remy Hoggard's "Purrrfect Love." Family packs and weekend packs are sold at fmbsandsculpting.com.
How the Five Days Unfold
The organizers call the daily schedule tentative and subject to change. The outline below comes from the event site and the Chamber's October announcement:
- Thursday, Nov. 19. Free admission. The masters start sculpting at 10 a.m., and lessons, demonstrations and Quick Sand speed-sculpting shows run through the afternoon. This is the day to see the blocks while they are still mostly raw sand.
- Friday, Nov. 20. Competition continues.
- Saturday, Nov. 21. The amateur competition runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with awards at 4 p.m. It costs $10 per sculptor, and the 20 plots go first come, first served.
- Sunday, Nov. 22. People's Choice voting closes, and the winner is announced with the awards ceremony.
- Monday, Nov. 23. A final day to see the finished sculptures, with plein air and other art activities from the Fort Myers Beach Art Association.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. On-site ticket sales end at 4:30 p.m., and the gates close at 4:45 p.m. Anyone who wants to work a shift can sign up to volunteer through the event site.
Parking Money Stays With Island Nonprofits
DiamondHead has very limited parking. The organizers have arranged donated lots, each run by a local nonprofit that keeps the proceeds:
- Estero Island Beach Club, 1840 Estero Blvd.: FMB Woman's Club
- Former Shamrock Irish Pub, 2201 Estero Blvd.: FMB Community Foundation
- Neptune Inn, 2310 Estero Blvd.: FMB Community Foundation
- SanCap Bank, 2670 and 2680 Estero Blvd.: FMB Lions Foundation
Taken together, those addresses mark out the event's working stretch of the island, from 1840 to 2680 Estero Blvd. Chamber President and CEO Jacki Liszak described last year's lot arrangement to Fort Myers Beach Talk as "another way to spread the love of the event across the island."
The parking page says a parking map will be posted before the event. Last year Seminole Casino ran shuttles from downtown lots, but no shuttle has been announced for 2026. Check the event site before building a plan around one.
Island transit helps. The Chamber's trolley page says the free Route 420 tram between Bowditch Point Park and the Fort Myers Beach Public Library is paused until November 2026 and normally runs November through April. Trolley Route 410 runs the length of the island from Bowditch Point Park to Lovers Key State Park.
Two Weeks Earlier, Lanterns Walk the Same Blocks
The Illuminations Walking Parade, organized by What's Up FMB, starts at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2307 Estero Blvd. That address falls between the former Shamrock Irish Pub lot at 2201 and the Neptune Inn lot at 2310. The procession heads north on Estero Boulevard, turns onto Old San Carlos Boulevard and ends at Bayside Park. Walking in it and watching it are both free.
The route runs the opposite way from the first parade. According to Beach Talk Radio News, the inaugural parade in November 2025 started at Bayside Park, went up Old San Carlos to the beach and finished at DiamondHead. It was presented by the King Family Foundation and The Whale. This year's walkers end at the bayside park, not on the sand.
Participants are invited to make and carry their own lanterns. What's Up FMB is donating lantern supplies to the Fort Myers Beach Public Library and Bay Oaks Recreational Campus. Workshop dates, costs and registration will be posted at WhatsUpFMB.com and on the group's social media pages. Spectators can watch along Estero Boulevard and Old San Carlos Boulevard or meet the walkers at Bayside Park.
Filling Out the Evening Nearby
Several of the north end's newest places are within reach of both events.
Crescent Beach Family Park reopened at the end of July after a $1.3 million county project. It sits between Margaritaville Beach Resort and Times Square on the old sand-and-volleyball site, now with new grass, shade trees and shade structures, as Fort Myers Beach Talk and WGCU reported.
Island View Sports Bar opened at Lani Kai Island Resort, 1400 Estero Blvd., next to the Sun Deck, and held its grand opening in early October. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight and has 32 65-inch TVs, a 105-inch center screen and an adjoining game room.
The Times Square market is back for the season on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. That makes the Friday and Saturday of championship week easy to pair with a morning in Times Square. Farther south, the Santini Marina Plaza market runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through May.
One thing to check: in 2025, DiamondHead lit the sculptures at night so diners at its Coste Island Cuisine restaurant could see them after the gates closed. Whether that returns this year has not been announced, so ask the resort before planning a late dinner around it.
The north end hosts more of the island's November than it did a few years ago, and the change shows up in how people park, eat and get around the island. If you are weighing a home within walking distance of Times Square, or reconsidering a property toward Lovers Key as the old Wyndham site is redeveloped, Amy Nease can walk you through how each end of Estero Island lives through the season. Request a private consultation.
