Fantasy Fest 2010
Lion Fish, new villians of the reef!
Join us for Key West’s most unique celebration! Stay aboard Conch Pearl for the zany and capricious gathering of masquerading merrymakers! If you are not a scuba diver, don’t worry. This is the one week of of the year where diving comes second only to the Keys biggest party. We’ll sail out to dive or snorkel the nearby reef during the day and at night we’ll revel in the citywide celebration of epic proportions! This particular week includes dockage at a downtown marina every night to be close to the celebration! Breakfast and lunch are provided aboard daily, and dinners are eaten at local restaurants, at your expense. We love Fantasy Fest because it shows off the imagination and the resourceful spirit that defines the Keys. And if you have never even heard of Fantasy Fest, think Mardi Gras Island Style!
What is Fantasy Fest?
First held in 1979, what began as primarily a party staged to add pep to the quiet days of October soon acquired a life of its own. Tony Falcone and the late Bill Conkle, along with Joe Liska and Frank Romano, organized the party to stimulate business in Key West. Over the years, it has grown into a ten day celebration that includes balls, costume competitions, AIDS fundraisers, drag queen contests, costume parties, lots of drinking, as well as pet and neighborhood parades for the whole family. Fantasy Fest has grown to rival New Orleans’ Mardi Gras as an event drawing out-of-towners.
The highlight of Fantasy Fest is a Saturday night parade down Duval Street featuring humorous floats, including one carrying the annually elected Conch King and Queen. In recent years, Fantasy Fest attendance has surpassed 100,000 people, or more than three times the population of the island itself.