Natacha Casal
•9/10/2026
Cape Coral officials are exploring a tiered rental fee structure for Festival Park, which opened a month ago, to help recover operating costs and plan for future replacements. “So these are brand new amenities in the community. We do not—we’ve never had a synthetic turf field, and we’ve never had an amphitheater. So the appropriate methodology to establish a fee is to identify what the full cost recovery amount would be,” City Manager Michael Ilczyszyn said. Currently, there is no primary organization or user hosting events at the park. The proposed rental fees include different tiers to help cover costs. City programs would fall into the lowest cost-recovery category for renting fields or the amphitheater, while nonprofit resident leagues would pay more. Non-resident leagues and commercial users would pay the highest rates. Additional fees would apply for items such as lighting, tents, and a portable stage. For example, renting the amphitheater for a nonprofit event could cost $800 for a half day, while a commercial event could cost approximately $1,300 for the same period. Council Member Bill Steinke emphasized the importance of keeping fees reasonable. “I think we need to consider is we still need to make it attractive to these groups and individuals to actually use it. So we’ve got to be sure not to overprice it to a point where they can’t or won’t afford it,” Steinke said. Mayor John Gunter suggested comparing fees with neighboring counties before finalizing rates. “I’d like to see what Lee County, Charlotte County, and Collier County and all the municipalities they’re in. What are they charging? You know, because I do believe that we have to be somewhat competitive with the region that we’re in. And I would consider those three counties, you know, our county, the one north of us, and the one south of us, and see what they are charging and what those fees are,” Gunter said. The next steps for the council include establishing rental fees, developing a rate structure for Festival Park, and adopting a fee structure. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
