Southwest Florida residents will celebrate the beginning of a new decade Thursday night.
There are major events planned in Cape Coral and Fort Myers for New Year’s Eve.
The Resort at Marina Village at Tarpon Point and Cape Harbour are hosting night celebrations featuring music and fireworks and Cape Harbour is having a midnight ball drop at the southern condominium complex.
Cape Harbour is unveiling its fourth annual celebration starting at 6 p.m. at The Joint. The Geek Skwad, a local rock-jam band from, will perform all night at the Joint which will continue serving revelers until 1 a.m.
Rumrunners will take regular reservations and is seating until 11 p.m. Ralph Centalonza from Cape Harbour, said people who attend the celebration and want dinner should make reservations.
“The strongest thing we will tell people is having dinner at Rumrunners and go to the main show,” he said. “It is a gala event and it is open to the public. There is no fee for it whatsoever.”
Pignoli is offering a special New Year’s menu from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with music by Vinny “Sax With Soul.” Reservations for Pignoli are required.
Centalonza said there is no way for organizers to count how many people show up to the event but they expect approximately 3,000 people. The 170-foot ball drop will be accompanied by a 25-minute fireworks display over the top of Cape Harbour.
“They are located so close to the community so everyone in the general public has a chance to see it,” he said.
Cape Coral residents wanting to attend the party at Cape Harbour can park their car at the Publix on the corner of Chiquita and Cape Coral Parkway and be picked up by a trolley service.
Organizers are asking that people bring non-perishable food or personal care items for Cape families in need.
The Resort at Marina Village at Tarpon Point is hosting a New Year’s celebration Thursday night starting at 8 p.m. Admission to the party is $150 per person and includes dinner, dancing, live music and fireworks.
This new resort is celebrating New Year’s along with its grand opening Thursday night.
The Downtown Countdown in the Fort Myers River District is free and starts at 8 p.m. Thursday. The celebration stretches through the streets of downtown Fort Myers and also features a ball drop at midnight.
Thousands of people typically attend the party each year.
“Anyone who has been down here will know what it’s like,” said Natalie Dunham from the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency.
The event will have live music most of the night and two local bands, Strange Arrangement and DVS, will perform throughout the evening.. Entertainment hubs run by the Beasley Broadcast Group will be stationed throughout the downtown district — with 96K-Rock, New Rock 99X, B103.9, Sunny 106 and 770 a.m.
ESPN supporting the celebration.
Local restaurants and night clubs will be open later, said Dunham.
“People like to go out to eat or go to the clubs afterwards,” she said.
Street parking is free in downtown Fort Myers after 5 p.m. and Dunham said parking garages will open with $4 flat rates for any car after 6 p.m.