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The crowd-pleasing event is held for two nights in July. The competition highlighted activities during the yearly Hemingway Days festival that honors author Ernest Hemingway who lived in Key West during the 1930s. Competing for the eighth time, Maxey beat 141 other contestants to claim top honors. Joe Maxey, second from left, celebrates his victory at the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest Saturday, July 20, 2019,at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, Fla. Each year fans of Papa’s writings and exuberant lifestyle come together to celebrate Hemingway Days. Hangout when he lived in Key West in the 1930s. The annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest is hosted every year by Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Hemingway’s favorite The rollicking revelers celebrate by hosting a Key Lime Cocktail Sip & Stroll, Key Lime Pie Eating Contest, and the Key Lime Scavenger Hunt, among other tart and tasty activities. Key limes have been a part of the culinary and libation offerings ever since. Then, in the 1800s, after discovering that the tart citrus fended off scurvy, the juice was added to the sailor’s daily ration of watered-down rum. It is said that Columbus brought the first seeds of the tangy and sour tropical fruit to the Caribbean in 1493. The Key Lime Festival is four crazy days of culinary events celebrating America’s favorite citrus, the key lime. Rob O’Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP) Key Lime Festival In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Steffany Stoeffler, right, competes with 24 other contestants at the Mile-High Key Lime Pie Eatin’ Contest Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Key West, Fla. The funfilled event hosts “The World’s Longest Parade” down US Highway 1, as well as “The World’s Longest Bar Stroll,” a pub crawl that stretches from the Atlantic to the Gulf in one afternoon. Today, in honor of their brief taste of freedom, the people of Key West set aside 10 days every April to celebrate their independence with a festival.
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This lasted just a few days, but it got great press and ended up being a clever way to promote tourism. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, the City Council and Mayor declared the island an independent country. In April of 1982, Mayor Dennis Wardlow seceded from the Union-for reasons that we won’t get into now. Key West is America’s own tiny Caribbean island, known as the Conch Republic to locals who fancy themselves an independent country. What? Did I get on the wrong flight? Nope. ‘Welcome to the Conch Republic’ is the sign you will first see when you get off the plane at the airport.
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Tight-rope walkers, jugglers, clowns, and more are part of the spectacle, as everyone gathers to watch in unison as the glowing pink and orange orb slips slowly into the sea. Show up around two hours before sunset and immerse yourself in crowds of locals and visitors alike who flock to the water’s edge, waiting for the magic to happen. The experience has captured the spirit and history of the island ever since the event took off in the late 1960s. There is nothing more fun than heading to Mallory Square to celebrate the iconic sunset. This is a festival that happens every night in Key West. Photo by Bob Krist/Florida Keys News Bureau The sunset celebration at Mallory Square is a daily ritual for visitors to this subtropical island at the bottom of the Florida Keys island chain. Mallory Square Sunset Celebration Busker Will Soto walks a tightrope at the sunset celebration in Key West, Fla. Here are 10 quirky, slightly off-kilter festivals and fun times that make Key West a unique place. Their “Floribbean” vibe and free-spirited outlook contribute to celebrations that are wacky and unforgettable. “One Human Family” is the official philosophy this warm-hearted motto sums up the unique island that is Key West. This is an anything goes, come as you are kind of place. Locals are called Conchs, and that’s pronounced “Konk.” If you weren’t born there, but you’ve lived here long enough, you might be granted the title “freshwater conch.” Located closer to Cuba than to Miami, this island oasis is Florida’s irreverent southernmost tropical paradise. Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO photo.įrom the days of the rumrunners and speakeasies, Key West has always been a party town. Costumed revelers representing Mozart’s orchestra make their way down Duval Street during the “In Tune But … Off Key”-themed Fantasy Fest Parade Saturday, Oct. Key West Florida, there is no other place quite like it.
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Photo by Bob Krist/Florida Keys News Bureau Ten Fun Festivals in Key West, Celebrating the Quirky Culture of the Conch Republic Busker Will Soto walks a tightrope at the sunset celebration in Key West, Fla.