Hemingway Days
Hemingway Days to Celebrate Literary Legend July 19-24, 2022, in Key West
KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Fans of Ernest Hemingway’s literary greatness and vigorous life, including scores of bearded Hemingway look-alikes, are to converge on Key West Tuesday through Sunday, July 19-24, for Hemingway Days 2022. The annual celebration salutes the Nobel Prize–winning author’s writing achievements, sporting pursuits and enjoyment of the island’s easygoing lifestyle.
The festival’s undisputed highlight is the Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, 201 Duval St., a frequent hangout for the writer during his 1930s residence in Key West. Scores of stocky, bearded entrants are to parade across Sloppy Joe’s stage before a judging panel of previous winners during preliminary and final rounds July 21-23.
Other planned events include a three-day marlin tournament recalling Hemingway’s passion for deep-sea angling, a commemoration of the 123rd anniversary of the author’s July 21 birth, a museum exhibit of rare memorabilia from his life, literary readings and scholars’ presentations, Sloppy Joe’s wacky “Running of the Bulls,” a street fair celebrating Key West’s lively spirit, a 5k run and paddleboard race that salutes Hemingway’s sporting interests, and the announcement of the winner of the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition coordinated by Ernest’s author granddaughter.
Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West from 1931 until late 1939, penning classics including “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not” in a small writing studio behind his Spanish Colonial residence on Whitehead Street. Keep checking here for updates on Hemingway Days, the festival that salutes his legacy on the island he called home.
Hemingway Days Updates & Information
- Hemingway Mystique Remains at Key West Sites
- Literary Landmarks Showcase Key West's Creative Heritage
Photos from the 2021 Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest and Events
Zach Taylor, center, a resident of Ambrose, Georgia, gets congratulatory kisses from Ernest Hemingway look-alikes after winning the 2021 Hemingway Look-Alike Contest late Saturday, July 24, 2021, at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, Fla. At left is Joe Maxey, the 2019 winner, and at right is 2018 winner Michael Groover, the husband of celebrity chef Paula Deen. The 2021 competition featured 137 contestants. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)
David “Bat” Masterson toots a conch shell during the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest Thursday, July 22, 2021, at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, Fla., during the contest’s first preliminary round. Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West throughout most of the 1930s. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Ernest Hemingway look-alikes push fake bulls during the “Running of the Bulls” Saturday, July 24, 2021, in Key West, Fla. A spoof of the event’s namesake in Pamplona, Spain, the subtropical island city’s version features fake bulls on wheels and is part of the annual Hemingway Days festival. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)
A cat dubbed Leonardo da Vinci rests atop an antique typewriter at the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum on Whitehead Street in Key West, Fla. Hemingway lived and wrote at the home for most of the 1930s, penning some of his best-known works. Now a registered National Historic Landmark, the home is a museum honoring the author — and a haven for several dozen cats, many of them with six toes and descended from a sea captain’s feline given to Hemingway. (Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)
For information on the Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest, visit sloppyjoes.com.
For high-resolution photos of Hemingway Days for media use, visit media.fla-keys.com.
