Six bars and nightclubs in the two-block area around First Street in downtown Fort Myers have banded together to offer a one-ticket deal Fridays and Saturdays.
"We've been struggling, but we want to make something good out of it," says Neo Lounge owner Kip Notbohm. "We want to try to have the best value."
The weekend deal works this way: A person pays the cover charge for one nightclub and then $5 more to enter any or all of the remaining five nightclubs for free.
Participating businesses are:
City Tavern, Envie Lounge, Neo Lounge, The Indigo Room, Level and Venu.
The bars and nightclubs will offer special deals to wristband wearers and restaurants will too, Notbohm says.
Envie Lounge manager Nils Richter has been working downtown for the past 10 years and has seen the night crowd ebb the past few years for several reasons: the economy, the streetscape-utilities project and competition in south Lee County, Cape Coral and Naples.
This is the first time Richter remembers downtown nightclubs uniting to attract business.
Richter envisions a downtown Fort Myers where young people hop from restaurants and bars to nightclubs - instead of staying in one place or heading to the Gulf Coast Town Center.
"We're really excited everybody is pulling together in the same direction," he said. "It's a first."
