One of Fort Myers' most popular annual events, the Edison Festival of Light is a three-week spectacle that honors the area's most famous winter resident around his birthday, Thomas Edison. The festival has grown from its inception in 1938 to include block parties, coronation balls, car shows, craft shows and a Science and Inventor's Fair, the majority of which are free. Festivities kick-off at the end of January and culminate the second weekend in February with the Festival of Light Grand Parade, the largest nighttime parade in the Southeast, and a 5K race. Weeks prior to the parade, residents use chalk and duct tape to reserve sections of sidewalks along the parade route. Some even tie old lawn chairs to lamp posts to save their spots and amazingly, most spectators respect the unofficial booking.