HOT Time… Summer in Key West!
Hardly a summer weekend goes by in the Florida Keys without a special event or festival taking place. The choices are endless, ranging from powerboat races to culinary, musical, historical and cultural celebrations, and quirky off-the-wall events featuring underwater music and chickens...and, of course, it's always nice to be in Key West...and do nothing. Lots of people do that all year long and they do it very well… if you're looking for a place to settle those nerves, Key West is THE place!
But it's almost summer in the Keys and that means it’s time for festivals and all out partying…summer-style. Locals and visitors alike join in every event and just getting there, is half the fun! Songwriters from all over the country converge on the island paradise for the 10th annual Key West Songwriters' Festival, May 11th-15th. Many of America's foremost hit makers will perform in intimate, audience-friendly settings. After all, any song set in the midst of a cool island breeze and surrounded by crystal clear water will always sound like a hit!
Summer
also brings the annual Cuban American Heritage Festival,
a showcase of the rich Cuban customs and culture still present
on the island. Cubans are given their fair share on the festival
podium June 13th-18th.
Two powerboat races speed into to Marathon this summer...beginning with the Marathon Offshore Grand Prix May 12th-15th and followed by the City of Marathon Super Boat Grand Prix June 10th-12th. Marathon is but a mere 50 miles (or so) from Key West and it's well worth the drive to see world-class high speed vessels race through the waters surrounding the historic Seven Mile Bridge. That bridge sees a lot of action...if they're not running across it during the Annual 7 Mile Bridge Run in April, they're racing around it in May! The bridge is the centerpiece of the 113 mile Overseas highway that connects the Florida Keys to the Mainland. If you've never had the pleasure of driving to Key West from Miami, rent yourself a convertible and get ready for the ride of your life! It really is half the fun!
If you plan your road trip well, you'll pull into Islamorada in time for the Island Festival on May 14th & 15th for a taste of all the culinary delicacies indigenous to the Florida Keys and plenty of live music, too. The area's best chefs showcase their specialties and local bands entertain the crowds. Then the dog days of summer get even tastier during the Key West Summer Food & Wine Festival, July 30th-Aug. 8th. Key West is known as one of the culinary hot spots in the country and this festival is a chance to indulge in the finest cuisine of some of the best chefs in the country...it doesn't hurt that dinners are also paired with perfect wine for every course. Add a few interesting classes, cocktail galas and a dessert tasting or two and you've got yourself a few days of awesome debauchery!
Several historic events take place throughout the year including the Harry S. Truman Legacy Symposium, which examines the life and impact of the former president who loved Key West. This year's symposium, themed "Quest for Peace in the Middle East," is scheduled for May 13th-14th. Summer also brings the annual Cuban American Heritage Festival, a showcase of the rich Cuban customs and culture still present on the island. Cubans are given their fair share on the festival podium June 13th-18th. Don't be surprised if there just happens to be some very hot and pulsating music too...the San Carlos Institute is not only beautifully restored, but it would be the perfect place for the Buena Vista Social Club to perform...hey...let's dream BIG! It could happen…
The following month, the historic discovery of the Spanish shipwreck Nuestra Señora de Atocha is the focus of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society's "Diving into Glory: The Atocha 20 Years Later" scheduled July 17th-23rd. Discovered 35 miles off Key West after a 16-year search, the shipwreck is regarded as one of the 20th century's most important underwater finds. It has yielded more than $400 million in artifacts and treasure including gold and silver bars, coins, rare navigational instruments and weapons. The museum is a must when visiting Key West...you can even hold one of the gold bars in your hands!
The "One Human Family" approach to living in Key West (and wouldn't it be nice if it were practiced worldwide) is celebrated during PrideFest Key West, June 4th-12th; and Womenfest, featuring art shows, water activities and comedy performances Sept. 6th-11th. Key West has long been known for its acceptance of different lifestyles and both of these festivals are welcomed with open arms. That's the beauty of Key West and it's been that way since the 1800's...an acceptance of every lifestyle...live and let live. Key West manages to welcome every possible "character" imaginable and everyone does their own thing and no one minds. Each to his own and have a good time while you're at it. Is there anyone preaching that doctrine out there? Certainly there should be more places like Key West and everyone would be happier!
Offbeat and unique seems to be the theme in Key West and no event fits that description better than ChickenFest Key West, June 16th-19th. Oh my...it just wouldn't be Key West without all the chickens darting about and the roosters crowing at all times of the day...ChickenFest celebrates and honors the vivacious, living, breathing, squawking Key West chicken with a variety of lighthearted events culminating in the "Poultry in Motion" parade.
The following month on July 9th, everyone goes underwater for the 21st Annual Underwater Music Festival, a quirky concert broadcast underwater for divers and snorkelers, held at Looe Key in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This year's theme is "AquaCulture: Music and Art in the Key of Sea." In October, divers carve pumpkins among the fishes during the annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest held in Key Largo as part of the island's Halloween festivities. Are you beginning to think it might be nice to live in the Florida Keys…or too weird?
Hemingway lived in Key West throughout the 1930's and in July, Hemingway Days draws fans of Ernest Hemingway's literature and lifestyle to Key West. The 25th anniversary of the event, which features a look-alike contest, author readings and presentations, the catch-and-release Drambuie Key West Marlin fishing tournament, the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition and an offbeat "Running of the Bulls," is scheduled for July 19th-24th. If you're a bit "portly" and sport a long, gray beard, you might be a perfect candidate for the "look alike" contest at Sloppy Joe's, Hemingway's favorite bar! It's a LOT of fun and a LOT of drinking (in his honor, of course)!
In late August and early September the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary takes center stage with an annual natural phenomenon scuba diving enthusiasts have dubbed "Sex on the Reef." It's the annual coral spawning ritual and dive shops throughout the area conduct evening excursions to witness the ritual some compare to an upside-down, underwater snow storm. Does this sound odd to you? Well, it's one of the supreme wonders of nature and it isn’t often that anyone has an opportunity to see coral spawn. Leave it to the Florida Keys to know exactly what those critters are up to...and when they do it!
Slated for the fall is the Florida Keys Birding & Wildlife Festival, Oct. 1st-2nd, held in Marathon and the Lower Keys, celebrating the natural wonders of Florida wildlife during peak season. Islamorada's rich heritage is at the center of the Indian Key Festival, set for early October, where significant historic events from the area are re-enacted. Indians of course were the first settlers all along the Florida Keys and they often fought for territory, moving further south each time. The last fight was a brutal one, a fight to the finish...most Indians were killed but a few that managed to escape paddling off in canoes to Cuba, 90 miles away.
When the summer heat begins to fade, the
fall festivals begin, none more famous and well-attended Fantasy Fest
in Ocotober...80,000 wild spectators and participants put on drag to
match each year's theme. The 27th Annual Key West Fantasy Fest is "Freaks,
Geeks & Goddesses" Oct. 21st-30th… Ten
costumed days of parties including elaborate costume competitions, promenades
and street fairs, masquerade galas and a grand parade with lavish floats
and eccentric marching groups. Apparently there isn't a "bad" time
to be in Key West. There's always plenty going on or it’s easy
to slip away from it all and find perfect solitude. Key West really
is idyllic and if you've ever been there, you know it's true. So, whatever
strikes your fancy...in more ways than one...and at any time of year,
you'll find it in Key West and the Florida Keys…It’s a guaranteed “hot” time
in the summer (in more ways than one)! 
