What To Do This Weekend in the Naples Florida (October 16-18, 2026)

Looking for the best things to do this weekend in the Naples Florida? From a three-day film festival in Old Naples to a year-round farmers market in North Naples and a major surrealist art exhibition opening in Pelican Bay, the weekend of October 16 through October 18, 2026 is full of options. Here is the verified plan for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, organized by day so you can build your own weekend.

Friday, October 16: Film Gala, Live Music, and Downtown Naples

The headline event Friday evening is the opening gala of the Naples Polish Film Festival, a three-day celebration of the centenary of director Andrzej Wajda running October 16 through 18 at The Norris Center, 755 8th Avenue South in Olde Naples. The gala begins at 6 p.m. with a reception, followed by a screening of Wajda's "The Promised Land" around 8 p.m. Opening gala tickets start at $60, individual film tickets run about $17.55, and advance purchase is required through the official festival website.

If you would rather hear live music, downtown and North Naples both have options. The Florida Rhythm Kings play at The Oasis in the downtown bar scene, and the Back Country Boys, a Naples country and rock band, take the stage at 6 p.m. at Live at Aqua North Naples on Immokalee Road. About twenty minutes north, ThunderBeard: A Tribute to ZZ Top plays the Performing Arts Center at the Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., with tickets around $45 to $55.

Make an evening of it in Olde Naples, where the downtown district hugs Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South. Grab dinner before the show, then walk off the evening along the Naples Pier for sunset over the Gulf.

Saturday, October 17: Farmers Market, Museum Opening, and Hockey

Start Saturday at the Vanderbilt Farmers Market, one of North Naples' largest and longest-running year-round markets. It runs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt, 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, with more than 90 vendors in the peak season selling produce, seafood, flowers, honey, and baked goods. The market's official site lists the full season schedule. It sits right at the edge of the Pelican Bay and North Naples communities, so it pairs easily with a morning at Vanderbilt Beach.

Later in the morning, two stops open their doors. The CMON Halloween Spooktacular at the Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, 15080 Livingston Road, runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in timed sessions with costumes, trick-or-treating, games, and crafts. Details are on the CMON events page. And at Artis-Naples, the Baker Museum opens "The Surrealist International: Fifty Years of Dreams", a Tate-based exhibition featuring Dalí, Magritte, Miró, Carrington, Man Ray, and Tanning, on the museum's third floor. The run continues through February 14, 2027, so opening weekend puts you ahead of the crowd. See the Baker Museum exhibition page for hours and tickets. The campus sits on Pelican Bay Boulevard, minutes from the Pelican Bay waterfront.

The Polish Film Festival moves to Regal Naples at Hollywood Stadium 20 on Hollywood Drive Saturday, screening "Ashes and Diamonds," "Man of Marble," and "Man of Iron." In the evening, catch the Florida Everblades at home against the Orlando Solar Bears at 7 p.m. at Hertz Arena in Estero, or lean into the season at Galaxy's Fright Nights, the Halloween haunt at the Collier County Fairgrounds that opens on select October weekend nights.

South of the city, Bonita Springs has a full Saturday: the Southwest Florida Car Show at The Center Bar from 10 a.m., the 21st Annual Walk to Prevent Child Abuse at Bell Tower Shops, and blues guitarist Quinn Sullivan at The Stage at the Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs at 7:30 p.m. The whole weekend, Farmer Mike's Fall Festival at Farmer Mike's U Pick on Morton Avenue runs Friday evening through Sunday night for $16 entry.

Sunday, October 18: Theater, Tribute Shows, and Crafts

Sunday afternoon, The Naples Players presents "Healing Voices," a readers-theatre program built from guided storytelling workshops, at 2 p.m. in the Glass Theater at the Sugden Community Theatre, 701 Fifth Avenue South in Olde Naples. Reservations and details are on the Naples Players ticket page. Afterward, stroll the shops and galleries along Fifth Avenue South, just steps from the theater.

Over in Bonita Springs, Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience takes the Hinman Auditorium stage at 7 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, and the Fall Arts & Crafts Fair runs from noon at The Promenade at Bonita Bay. Farmer Mike's Fall Festival stays open through the afternoon, and in Estero, Josh Baldwin plays First Assembly of God at 7 p.m.

If you want a slower Sunday, the water is the best company. Spend the morning at Lowdermilk Beach Park or Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, picnic on something from Saturday's farmers market, and close the weekend watching the sunset from the Naples Pier in downtown Olde Naples.

All Weekend Long in Naples

Several things are worth building into any point of the weekend. The Naples Polish Film Festival runs all three days with seven Wajda films total. The Baker Museum's new surrealist exhibition is open throughout the weekend. At Coastland Center, the iARTE VIVA! art exhibit continues through November 1, and the Naples Art Institute is showing Rembrandt's monochrome prints. Between events, the Botanical Garden and Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens are always-open favorites for a lazy afternoon.

For dining, the energy concentrates where the events are: Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South in Olde Naples, the waterfront along Crayton Cove near Naples Bay, and the shopping districts around Vanderbilt Beach and Bonita Springs.

However you spend it, this is a full weekend to be in Naples. If you are in town scouting the area, exploring neighborhoods like Olde Naples, Pelican Bay, or Bonita Springs while you are here makes the trip doubly useful. My guide to choosing a Naples neighborhood lines up the lifestyle, lot, and construction differences between them, and my Naples buyer's guide walks through the purchase process step by step. Questions about any of it? Get in touch and I will help you sort it out.