If you were around Fort Myers between 2007 and 2014, there’s a good chance you’ve still got a little mud on your boots—or at least a blurry photo on your old Motorola Razr—from the Lakeside Country Bash. Oh yes, that glorious stretch of years when Lakes Regional Park turned into our own mini Nashville, complete with beer cups flying, cowboy hats wobbling, and that one guy who always climbed up on someone’s shoulders during every chorus.
The Bash That Started It All
2007 came in hot—literally, because it was Florida and there’s no such thing as “cool weather.” The first Lakeside Country Bash felt like someone’s backyard BBQ got out of hand in the best possible way. A few locals, a stage, some cold drinks, and a whole lot of “let’s just see what happens.” Spoiler: what happened was magic.
By 2008, Sugarland rolled in and suddenly we weren’t just a local crowd anymore. Thousands of us packed in—boots, hats, sunburns, and all—like it was the social event of the year. I remember the ground shaking when Jennifer Nettles hit that note (you know the one). It felt like Fort Myers had officially put a flag in the country music map and said, “We’re here, y’all!”
From 2009 through 2011, it just… became a thing. The kind of tradition you didn’t even have to plan for anymore—it was automatic. Every year you knew where you’d be: standing under the stars, holding a beer, hugging your sweaty friends, and pretending you knew all the lyrics. Lineups blurred together (was it Jake Owen that one year or was that someone else?), but who cares? Those were the years we made friends we’d later forget how we met—but never forget why.
Then came 2012, and my goodness, did it blow the boots off our expectations. Alan Jackson—yes, the Alan Jackson—showed up, and suddenly Fort Myers didn’t feel small-town anymore. Rodney Atkins and David Nail joined in, and the whole park turned into one big sing-along. If you didn’t lose your voice that night, were you even there?
By 2013, it wasn’t just a concert—it was a family reunion, the kind with fewer casseroles and way more beer. The Band Perry, Joe Nichols, Josh Thompson, Craig Campbell, Cole Swindell… it was like the radio came to life right in front of us. Every direction you turned, someone was two-stepping or laughing or taking the world’s blurriest selfie. You couldn’t walk ten feet without bumping into an old classmate or that person you “sort of dated but don’t talk about.”
Then, in 2014, we had the final Bash. Brantley Gilbert, Tyler Farr, Colt Ford, Parmalee, Chase Bryant—honestly, it was like they said, “Let’s go out with a bang.” And they did. It was sweaty, loud, chaotic, and perfect. We danced, we screamed, we tried to hold onto it just a little longer. Nobody wanted to say goodbye.
Looking back now, the Lakeside Country Bash wasn’t just a music festival—it was our own piece of country soul right here in Southwest Florida. It was where strangers became friends, friends became family, and everyone left a little more sunburned than they planned. If you were lucky enough to be part of it, you know: it wasn’t about the headliners. It was about that wild, wonderful feeling of being right there—together, under the Florida sky, singing your heart out like nobody was watching.
And maybe, just maybe, a tiny part of Lakes Regional Park still hums a country tune when the sun goes down.
