On the offbeat island of Key West, even the zombies defy stereotypes. Instead of stumbling through dark wastelands in tattered clothes — as often portrayed in films and TV shows — Key West’s zombies are to hop on their bikes and pedal beside the Atlantic Ocean Sunday, Oct. 22, during the annual Zombie Bike Ride.
In the Florida Keys, it’s common for locals and savvy visitors to greet the news of some particularly offbeat happening by grinning and murmuring, “Only in the Keys.” The four-word phrase is a standard response by people hearing about everything from a costume contest for pets to mermaids attending a local music festival.
It’s not always easy to stay afloat. Especially if your vessel is made of a 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood, two 8-foot-long two-by-fours, a roll of duct tape and a pound of fasteners. But staying afloat is the goal for teams in the Schooner Wharf Minimal Regatta, a Key West Memorial Day weekend tradition.
The legacy of Florida Keys sculptor Stanley Papio, a pioneer of recycled art, is being celebrated on Earth Day 2023 with a colorful people-powered parade of recycled and repurposed artistic creations. The Papio Kinetic Sculpture and Art Bike Parade features sculptural floats with moving parts, decorated bicycles and other mobile works of art.
If you’ve spent time in the Florida Keys, you’re aware that Keys residents are generally easygoing and friendly. But unless you want to make them cringe, don’t ever say “kontch” — because the widely-used word “conch,” despite its spelling, is properly pronounced “konk.” Especially at the upcoming birthday party for the Keys’ Conch Republic.
Conch shell blowing, a time-honored tradition, is Key West’s most indigenous form of musical expression. Every March, the island’s Conch Shell Blowing Contest draws dozens of entrants who demonstrate their “pucker power” by blowing through the conch’s fluted, pink-lined shell. The 2023 contest is set for March 4 at the Oldest House Museum.
“The Florida Keys: 200 Years of Paradise," a 60-minute television program that explores the culture and history of the island chain from the early 1800s to the present, debuts this spring on PBS channels across the United States. Meanwhile, three special events in Key West showcase aspects of the Keys’ two-century cultural heritage.
The continental United States’ only contiguous living coral barrier reef, which parallels the Florida Keys, hosts huge populations of tropical fish and other sea creatures. The warm, clear water makes a long dive in the Keys comfortable and enjoyable. And around Halloween each year, divers can immerse themselves while actually carving pumpkins underwater!
In April 1982, the Florida Keys symbolically “seceded” from the United States and were reborn as the independent Conch Republic. Today the republic is internationally acclaimed as the Keys’ irreverent alter ego — and this month, the 40th annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration commemorates the historic action with a roster of rollicking events.
Key West is gloriously, outrageously abnormal — a place where wild chickens roam the streets and nobody thinks it’s strange to spot grown men dressed like Darth Vader or Marilyn Monroe. In this quirky haven, dogs ride happily in bicycle baskets, creativity and diversity flourish, and “street performer” and “treasure hunter” are legitimate occupations.