New Year’s Eve in the Florida Keys traditionally features balmy temperatures and a warm welcome for revelers fleeing colder spots. From beachside fireworks where overcoats and gloves aren’t allowed to wacky takeoffs on the traditional ball drop in New York’s Times Square, the island chain offers a wealth of ways to welcome 2020.
Savoring the taste of fresh-baked Cuban bread, watching pooches play at Dog Beach, strolling along palm-lined streets past Victorian gems in historic Old Town, sipping late-afternoon cocktails on the waterfront deck at Louie’s Backyard ... all these are pleasures Key Westers can enjoy every day, but that aren’t easily experienced in other places.
Incredible as it may seem, the 2019 holidays are sneaking up fast. And in the Florida Keys, they’re celebrated with festivities that range from traditional to eccentric — with, of course, a unique island twist. Throughout November and December, visitors can find events designed to jingle their bells all around the holiday-loving Keys communities.
Fantasy Fest, Key West’s internationally renowned masking and costuming festival, offers both outrageous revelry and a unique showcase for artists — illustrators who create vivid poster and T-shirt designs, body painters who use the human form as their canvas and a local talent exhibiting immersive graffiti-inspired images. There’s even a self-guided art and bar stroll.
The eerie yet lighthearted Zombie Bike Ride will bring thousands of “the bicycling dead” to prowl Key West's Atlantic Ocean shoreline and streets Sunday, Oct. 20. Since it began in 2010, the pre-Halloween ride has become a tradition for visiting and local adults, kids and even some bewildered pets — all in spooky zombie garb.
Key West's Fantasy Fest commemorates its 40th anniversary Oct. 18-27 with world-famous costume contests, action-packed street festivals, adult-themed revelries and a dazzling grand parade. Feeling a bit overwhelmed when trying to decide which events to attend? Fear not, because here Keys Voices outlines six must-do parties and activities at some favorite LGBTQ hangouts.
Key Largo is called the dive capital of the world — with good reason, since it draws underwater enthusiasts from around the globe to experience its diverse, fascinating coral reef ecosystem alive with sea life. Plus Key Largo, and the Upper Keys overall, are home to a weird and wonderful array of lighthearted underwater events.
Revelers in Key West are firing up their creative juices and their glue guns, hoping to create the winning headgear for the Headdress Ball scheduled Thursday, Oct. 24. The glamorous event is one of the highlights of the island’s 10-day Fantasy Fest celebration, offering a unique blend of lively entertainment and imaginative pageantry.
For decades, Key West's Mallory Square Sunset Celebration has been an iconic must-do experience for visitors and locals alike. On the pier overlooking colorful Key West Harbor, artisans sell handmade wares and foodstuffs. Performers range from acrobats and musicians to a daring tightrope walker silhouetted against the vivid hues of the evening sky.
Key West’s colorful history includes Spanish galleon shipwreck treasures and artifacts, famous artists and eccentrics, a cigar-making heyday, a vibrant past as a bustling seaport and even an eerie haunted doll. So it’s no surprise to find that cultural and historic richness preserved, spotlighted and celebrated in the island city’s many museums.