Southwest Florida Ag Expo opens Thursday
The 2026 Southwest Florida Ag Expo will open Thursday in a familiar location that now has a new name
The traditional ribbon cutting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 26, at Mike Greenwell Regional Park, the old Lee County Civic Center at 11831 Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers.
Lee County commissioners and other dignitaries will provide brief remarks with the gates to open at 4 p.m., kicking off 11 days of fun for the agricultural exposition that this year has the theme – Roots N Rides, A Celebration of Tradition.
There is $1 gate admission and $1 rides on opening day.
The expo will run from through Sunday, March 8, with promotional nights happening throughout.
Among the highlights — midway rides and games by Reithoffer Shows, live music and entertainment, an assortment of food vendor and, of course youth livestock exhibitions.
Southwest Florida Agricultural Exposition spokesperson Miriam Dotson said the last Saturday of the event, March 7, will be Ag Day, which speaks to the title of this year’s theme. The days pays respect to the agricultural portion of the Ag Expo.
Doors will open at 11 a.m. for the market animal auction, the livestock auction.
“It’s when the youth get the chance to put their animal on display,” Dotson said. “The public can bid on the youth exhibit, the animals, that are up for purchase. The auction proceeds go back to the youth exhibitor.”
Individuals can register and bid on the animals, or hang out and experience the educational fun.
“It’s a rewarding moment for them. They take care of animals and know what they are doing is important,” Dotson said of youth participants. “You see a lot of joy in the kid’s faces, parents, and people that end up purchasing.”
Promotional nights include:
On Friday, Feb. 27, the expo will offer no gate admission during the sensory friendly hour from 4 to 6 p.m. These two hours offer less noise and lights for families.
“We did find that many families were very grateful of that last year. We like to make sure we include and think about that family friendly environment,” Dotson said.
Moonlight Madness will also be offered on Friday, Feb. 27, as well as Friday, March 6 from 8 p.m. until midnight. It is $30 for admission, which includes a ride wristband.
Community Night will be Monday, March 2. It’s a partnership with the Harry Chapin Food Bank and those who bring three canned food items receive free admission.
Two-dollar Tuesday – $2 gate admission, $2 rides, and at least one $2 food item from each vendor will be available on Tuesday, March 3.
Senior Day will be Wednesday, March 5, for those 50 years old or older. This day will have half off admission, making ticket prices only $5.
Hometown Hero Night is Thursday, March 5, with $5 off gate admission for police, law enforcement, fire and Lee County School District staff.
The last day of the expo, Sunday, March 8, is Family Fiesta Day. Gates open at 11 a.m. with general date admission and $40 ride wristbands.
In addition to the various promotional nights, the SWFL Ag Expo also will feature Creating Living, which has eight different divisions – fabric and thread, handcraft, cottage food, fine arts, photography, tablescape, home gardening and horticulture and STEAM.
The gates are open for the Southwest Florida Ag Expo from 4 to 9 p.m. during the week with the exception of Fridays during Midnight Madness, and from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
General admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 4 to 11 years old and free for children 3 and under. All active duty and veterans will receive free gate admission with proof of military ID.
Dotson said the best deal is the MEGAPASS, which is $30 for admission and unlimited mechanical rides for any one day of the expo. The MEGAPASS cannot be purchased once the gates open at 4 p.m. on opening day.
There are walk through metal detectors at all entry gates for enhanced security measures. The permitted bags include small purses, clutches, wallets, or clear totes with maximum dimensions of 12x12x8 inches, and one-gallon plastic zip top bags.
Large totes, backpacks and cooler bags are prohibited. Both medically necessary bags and diaper bags containing only baby supplies will be permitted upon inspection by security.
Parking is free. There is an overflow parking lot available during peak hours with LeeTran offering shuttle services to transport attendees back and forth when needed.
For more information visit swflagexpo.com.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com