In Key West, festivals are staged every month, celebrating everything from mouthwatering Key lime pie and succulent Florida lobster to Gay Pride. And one event, the campaign for Fantasy Fest king and queen, is a fundraiser that's important to the entire community.
Loaves of stale Cuban bread, a governmental border checkpoint, and a request for a billion dollars in foreign aid played major roles in the Florida Keys’ secession from the United States and the formation of the independent Conch Republic.
Slip away to the southernmost outpost in the continental U.S. this spring to soak up the salt air, sweet breezes and irresistibly laid-back vibe.
Many of the Florida Keys most appealing festivals and events celebrate visual, performing and literary artists’ passion and talent. And while each one is different, they all spotlight the Keys’ vibrant history, natural richness, and irresistible vibe that inspires creative spirits.
David Kaufelt’s greatest accomplishment, and the one that made perhaps the most lasting impact, was founding the superb and critically acclaimed Key West Literary Seminar. In early February, a national literary landmark was dedicated in his honor on the island he loved.
Nothing exemplifies the size, diversity, and exuberant creativity of the Florida Keys arts community more than the 2016 Connections Project mural. The mural, which stretches 24 feel long, is a mosaic featuring small canvases by nearly 400 Keys artists and arts-minded residents.
Each January, the Florida Keys hosts a group of severely injured soldiers who use special bicycles to ride segments of the Overseas Highway during the Wounded Warrior Project's Soldier Ride.
The writer who wins the Florida Keys Flash Fiction Contest can spend 10 days working in the Key West writing studio that once belonged to literary legend Ernest Hemingway -- sharing the space where Hemingway penned enduring literary classics when he lived in 1930s Key West.
On New Year’s Eve, thousands of revelers witnessed Key West drag sensation Gary “Sushi” Marion and longtime partner Jeff Kucin marry outside Bourbon St. Pub just before the stroke of midnight.
Start the New Year with a fantastic food festival in the Florida Keys — rich in creative cuisine, soul-warming subtropical sun and foodie fun. And this January, you’ll find four major culinary events to choose from.