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Affairs to remember – Key West Festivals
from:Popular Events – Annual Key West Festivals:
Conch-Republic Independence-Celebration – April23, 10-day-event.
‘Zany’ Key West celebration overcoming the “evil forces of the US Border-Patrol”. Colors-raising at Fort Taylor and victory-celebration. Loads of fun and of silly events – hotrod drag-race, tattoo-contest, ‘world’s longest’ parade, fiddler's-contest, chili cook-off, and arts-and-crafts fairs.
PrideFest – June, 7-days-event
Presented by the Gay and Lesbian Community-Center to Key West, the first American city to openly recruit gay-tourists. Pride-Follies talent-extravaganza; Mr./Ms./Miss PrideFest contest, parties, tea-dance, and the PrideFest Parade down Duval.
Cuban-American Heritage Festival – June, Sunday-Contests noon-5pm, Free-admissions.
Jose Marti, cigar-worker Cubans’ liberator loved the Key West history-development by the Cubans. Now featuring Cuban history, photo-exhibits, story-telling, book-signings, pinatas, dominoes, and contests, lectures at Mel-Fisher Museum, wine, cigar, conch-brunch, Latin concerts, fishing-tournaments, conga-line and salsa-dancing.
Fantasy Fest – October, Some event-fees.
“Be-as-outrageous-as-possible festival”. Yacht-race, Royal Coronation Ball, Mardi-Gras Massacre, and Pet-Masquerade. Anything-goes, no-inhibitions, not-for-kids.
Goombay Celebration – October, Open 1pm-midnight F-Sa, Free-admission, Cash=Food
Bahamian-descendants continue the tradition featuring Bahamian steel-drums music-and-dance, delicious jerk-chicken and gyros, and street parade. Spread over streets, including Bahama Village.
Key West Boat-and-Holiday Parade – December, Free-admissions.
Festive floats, musical bands, zany costumes, colors, local deli, and holiday-cheer continuing throughout the day. Packed-out. Earn great parade viewing-spots.
Other Key West Festivals – Street-Fairs:
Tropic Cinema
Showcasing award-winning films, digital-media and other area lectures, and creating global-cultural awareness. Also hosting birthday-parties, anniversaries, and other occasions for the movie-buff.
Key West Lighted Boat-Parade - Free procession-viewing, Some location-fees (restaurants-on-the-water)
Key West boats are crafted with whimsical, comical, traditional, or religious motifs and are awarded by the Chamber-of-Commerce.
Terra-Nova Trading-Race – Free-admissions.
Premiere Racing Corporation’s four-division race. One division competing each day. With awards for Boat of the Day and for Boat of the Week. Cheer on your favorite sails.
Old-Island Art-Festival – February, Free-admissions, Opens 10am-5pm.
Discovering some the area’s best local/regional artists. Whitehead Street closes for the event displaying for art-collectors/lovers. Showcasing Key West as ‘haven-for-artists’ – wide-array art-mediums and artistic-styles.
Pirates-in-Paradise Festival – 10-day-event, Free-admissions, Cash=food &more fun.
‘Hottest and oddest’ of the Key West festivals. Culinary delights and games, national/local acts’ on-stage-performance, art-exhibits at Custom-House and Mel-Fisher Museum sponsored by Maritime Arts and Culture, nautical excursions featuring tall-ships and sea-battles.
Florida Keys Poker Run – 3-day-race, Opens dawn-dusk
One of the Key West festivals annually raising money for youth-programs and scholarship-funds. Motorcycle-run begins in Miami and ends downtown, culminating in a Duval street-party. Riders and families gather at Sloppy Joe’s.
Old Island Restoration Foundation Benefit Ball – Opens 630pm-1am.
Another of the Key West festivals raising funds for the Old-Island Restoration-Foundation. A dress-up and party-in-style formal evening-event in glamour. Haute cuisine and orchestra-dance, silent-auction of hotel-accommodations, trips, dining-certificates, gift-baskets, original artwork, and local-artist’s fab table-decorations.
Old-Island-Days House-&-Garden Tour – Opens Sa-Su 10am-5pm, Tickets, reservations, maps.
Presenting lovely garden-courtyards and historical-residences annually. Homes chosen on their cultural-architectural-contribution – Victorian gingerbread-house or cigar-maker's cottage reflecting unique lifestyles.
Key West Songwriters’ Fest
Musical-festival for talented pianists, vocalists and musician charts-toppers such as Lori Kelley, Drew Reid and Chris Clifton. Classic organ-trio, bass-player, and loud-drums music, dance, and applause.
Conch Shell-Blowing Contest – Free-admissions, Opens Sa 1:30-4pm
Conch-shells now draw huge crowds as it once did calling-for-help ships-in-distress. Now heralding skillful (some comical) conch-blowing musicians for fun and trophies. Own-shells or free-shells for the contestants. Local deli and souvenirs for all.
More Key West Festivals Celebrated Years Round:
Acura International Boat-Regatta – January
Red-Ribbon Bed-Race – April
Survivors Party – May
Queen-Mother Pageant – May
Hemingway-Days Festival – July
WomenFest – September
Parrot Heads in Paradise Convention (Meeting of the Minds)
– November
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American Festivals Specific links
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American Festivals News
Fun Fall Festivals In Ky. (The Kentucky Post)
Before we know it, September will be upon us and children will be settled into their school routines with practice, games and studies. In Kentucky, it’s the season of fall festivals and it’s a time to Discover Your Own Backyard. Attend a festival that will fit your interests or spark a new one.
Read more...Ohio festivals and events (WTOL 11 Toledo)
Click for a list of festivals and events in Ohio.
Read more...Neil Gaudet Festivals proliferate despite risks of bad weather and rowdies (Kelowna Capital News)
The multi-day festival has become such a fixture up and down Vancouver Island it surely is only a matter of time before someone brands us “the Island of Festivals.”
Read more...Dylan, Gnarls Barkley and others rock SouthSide Works (The Beaver County Times)
PITTSBURGH — The New American Music Union has elevated Pittsburgh’s hipness quotient.
Read more...Good Ol' Family Fun at 11th Annual River Days (Aspen Daily News)
Last year's Basalt River Days queen and 10-year festival director Liz Phillips might be gone, but one of the midvalley's favorite annual festivals is turning 11 this year, bringing with it the same great live music and events that Basaltines have come to enjoy.
Read more...