While the online countdown clock ticks down the days and hours until opening day, the monumental setup is already underway at the Lee Civic Center and Fairgrounds for the 93rd Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair, to be held Feb. 23 – March 5. Tickets are now on sale at swflcfair.com/tickets, along with the always popular Mega Pass, granting admission and unlimited rides for one day of the fair.
A lineup of amazing free entertainment is in store, from Ron Diamond’s Hypnosis Magic to the Timberworks Lumberjack Show. The Fire Fighter Training Show returns for its second year by popular demand along with Dale’s Scott’s The Future of Magic Show. Enjoy the ever popular Marc Dobson’s ‘One Man Band’ and Billy ‘Elvis’ Lindsey – winner of the ELVIS Extravaganza Contest at the Florida State Fair, and much more! Tadpole the Clown, Carrie McQueen Stilt Walker, and the Moogician are always crowd pleasers. Rocky Da Roosta and his cast of cackling hens will entertain you throughout the entire day.
The 4-H Livestock competitions, shows and sales are held throughout the 11 days, with over 1,300 entries including beef breeding, goats, horses, small animals and swine from more than 400 4-H Exhibitors. Specialty goat shows and competitions are presented by the American Dairy Goat Association, National Pygmy Goat Association and the American Boer Goat Association. The Market Animal Livestock Sale is held Saturday, March 4, 2017. 
Registration is still open in the Creative Living and Home Arts Departments where the community’s creativity comes alive, and featured more than 1,000 entries in 2016. Register now to enter your crafts, baked goods, recycled art, photography, horticulture and more. New this year is the Decorate a Hat contest. Guess all the Skittles in the candy jar and you could win that candy jar, plus a beautiful four-foot Dankin Teddy Bear.
On Senior/Military Day, there will be many workshops presented by Lee County Master Gardeners on 18 topics from worm composting to citrus growing to Florida Friendly Landscapes. An Ask the Gardener session will help answer fairgoers’ gardening conundrums!
A host of specials and discounts are available, ranging from Sneak Peek Thursday (Feb. 23), with a $15 special for admission and rides, to our Harry Chapin Food Bank Night (Monday, Feb. 27) with free gate admission for three cans of donated food. Military and Senior Day isWednesday, March 1, with $5 admission from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Moonlight Madness is always a favorite for thrill seekers, with $25 for admission and rides from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday, February 24th and Friday, March 3rd.
Visit swflcfair.com for tickets, Creative Living entry information, the full lineup of entertainment, community stage happenings, plus a downloadable brochure that is your ultimate guide to all of the excitement.
In 2016 the Southwest Florida & Lee County Fair welcomed more than 109,000 fairgoers. The Fair Association is recognized as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and re-donates to a number of other non-profits, including the local 4-H clubs, Rotary, Lee County Explorer’s, and the Araba Shrine units. Lee County Schools are also a beneficiary, and the Fair offers scholarships to graduating seniors who are exhibiting in the Fair.
About the Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair
Held at the Fairgrounds and Lee Civic Center, located on Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers, the Fair is dedicated to promoting agricultural, horticultural, creative arts, and educational opportunities while providing quality entertainment for the citizens of the area. The Fair is recognized as a 501(C)3 non-profit educational organization by the federal government and the State of Florida. The Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair Association is chartered under Florida State Statues Chapter 616 as a District Fair serving Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties. For more information visit www.swflcfair.com
