Plan Your Visit
The Alva Museum sits in the town's original 1909 library building on Pearl Street, under the live oaks just off the Caloosahatchee. The festival spreads across the grounds around it.
Hours
Festival:
Saturday, October 24, 2026
4 – 8 PM
Regular museum hours:
Saturdays · 10 AM – 2 PM
Group tours by appointment.
Admission
Admission to the festival is free, and so is admission to the museum during regular hours.
Food and treats are sold by the individual vendors. Donations support the museum year-round. Donate or become a member →
Parking
Free on-site and nearby street parking. The lot fills earliest right at 4 PM — if you arrive later, expect a short walk and plan for it getting dark on the way back.
Accessibility
The festival is outdoors on grass and packed ground, which can be uneven. The museum building itself is a 1909 structure with steps at the entrance — please ask a volunteer if you need assistance, and we will help you get where you want to go.
What to Bring
- Cash — not every food vendor takes cards
- Lawn chairs or a blanket for the bonfire
- A light jacket for after sundown
- Bug spray, this being Florida
- A flashlight for the walk back to the car
- Fort Myers Shores10 min
- Lehigh Acres15 min
- Buckingham15 min
- North Fort Myers25 min
- LaBelle25 min
- Babcock Ranch25 min
- Downtown Fort Myers30 min
Finding Pearl Street
Alva is east of Fort Myers along the Caloosahatchee River. Cross the bridge into town, and Pearl Street is a short turn off Broadway — the white clapboard building with the columned porch is hard to miss, especially with a bonfire going.
If you are coming from Lehigh Acres, Buckingham, LaBelle, or Fort Myers Shores, you are twenty minutes away or less.
A Few Practical Notes
Leashed, friendly pets are welcome — the costumed pet parade is one of the evening's highlights. Please bring water and cleanup bags, and skip it if your dog is uneasy in crowds or near a fire.
The festival is outdoors and runs rain or shine unless conditions turn unsafe. If anything changes, we post it first on the museum's Facebook page.
Come early for the crafts, games, and the History Hunt with the kids; come later for the bonfire and the food trucks at dusk. Or do what most people do and stay for all four hours. See the full lineup →