KEY WEST / October 17 to October 26

Fantasy Fest 2008 in Key West starts on Friday, October 17th with the Goombay Celebration and Royal Coronation Ball. 70,000 costumed revelers from all over the world will be treated to ten days of great events, entertainment and food.

Adults and Couples, come stay at one of our Historic Key West Inns, the Key Lime Inn, Budget Key West or Albury Court for Fantasy Fest. This annual event is an outrageous, 10-day celebration featuring costume competitions, promenades, street fairs and a grand parade with marching groups and lavish floats. This year, Fantasy Fest takes aim at America’s upcoming presidential election. The highlight of Fantasy Fest is a parade featuring amusing floats, including one carrying the annually elected Conch King and Queen. In recent years, attendance at Fantasy Fest has surpassed 100,000 people, or more than three times the population of the island itself. Fantasy Fest has grown to rival New Orleans’ Mardi Gras as an event drawing out-of-towners.

Fantasy Fest Events include;
•Goombay - a street party held in Key West’s Bahama Village neighborhood.
•The Royal Coronation Ball - where the Conch King and Queen are crowned.
•The annual Headdress Ball.
•The Pet Masquerade - a costume contest for pets.
•Pretenders in Paradise - an annual costume contest.
•The Masquerade March - a daytime procession through the streets of Key West.
•The Street Fair.
•The Fantasy Fest parade - the culmination of the festival.

March 14 – November 30, 2008.
The Key West Sport Fishing Tournament, starting March 14, 2008, is a seven-month-long competition that runs from March through November and is open to the general public. Visiting and local anglers are encouraged to enter their catches, at no charge, at a tournament weigh station during the seven-month event. All entries receive a certificate noting their catch, and qualify for prizes. Each year the Key West Fishing Tournament is opened by a Kickoff Tournament. Started in 1965, the Key West Fishing Tournament is celebrating its 40th year helping to promote sport fishing, conservation and tourism in the Key West area. Call 1-800-970-9056 for more information on entries and events. Visitors can enjoy luxury lodging at one of our small Key West inns and stay close to the sport fishing action.

Feb. 21 – 22, 2008
Art enthusiasts from around the world descend on Key West for this annual event, which showcases the diversity of mediums and styles utilized by local artists. Paintings, from landscapes to abstracts, are set side-by-side with steel, iron and traditional sculptures under tents that shade the unique works from the sun’s rays. Visitors to this Key West art festival get a wide-ranging sample of the vibrant art scene in the area. Call 305-294-1241 for more information. Visitors can enjoy a comfortable room or suite at one of our six small Key West hotels, all central to the art festival location.

Couples searching for a break from the cold weather for Valentine’s Day 2008 can head to breathtaking Key West, Florida. As you stroll hand in hand in town or along the beautiful beaches you can decide how to spend this romantic day. Perhaps you’ll spend this romantic day gazing at the aqua blue waters, walking under the palm trees, exploring Hemmingway’s home or enjoying the nightlife on Duval Street. Whatever you decide to do the scenery in Key West will be a wonderful backdrop on this romantic holiday.

Historic Key West Inns is always a good value in Florida Keys area. Rates for Valentine’s Day start at $249 per night for the 14th thru 17th. Our inns are especially romantic because of their historic character, the focus on accommodations for couples, and the prime locations in Key West. Guests can easily walk to restaurants, nightlife, attractions, and shopping. Enjoy gas fireplaces, flat panel televisions, and the waterfall splash pool at Albury Court. Relax under overhanging palms at Key Lime Inn’s large pool. Spend an afternoon sipping key lime margaritas by the pool at Lighthouse Court. Be just steps away from Duval Street at Merlin Guesthouse. Surround yourself in tropical Victorian architecture at Chelsea House Pool & Gardens. Stay chic and cheap at Budget Key West

The Florida Keys Seafood Festival celebrates the community by bringing families and friends together in a joyful and fun environment to sample the local catch. This family friendly event was conceived to showcase local seafood and the Florida Keys‘ commercial fishing industry by providing the freshest seafood available. Each year, the fishermen and women are proud to offer the community a variety of seafood at reasonable prices.

It is the hope of the community that this festival will become an annual event that visitors can plan their vacations around. The festival also hopes to raise money for the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association. Some of the proceeds from the festival Florida Keys Seafood Festival sponsor scholarships going to children of local fishermen from Key Largo to Key West.

The lack of a seafood festival in the Key West area has been obvious for many years. It took the devastating hurricane season of 2005 that wiped out 75% of the fishing gear to provide the needed motivation for finally making this now successful event possible. It took the combined efforts of the FKCFA and UF/IFAS/Monroe County Extension Services to make the first festival in 2006 possible.

The fishermen and their families work hard at preparing the delicious seafood dishes. Not only will they offer the best prices in town, they will also have the freshest shrimp, lobster, and two kinds of crab. While most people are familiar with stone crab, we will also have a unique treat with a special booth serving deep water golden crab. In addition, visitors to the festival can enjoy conch salad, conch fritters, and conch chowder prepared with local recipes. Let’s not forget the sweets that will be available like Flan and Key Lime Pie. And of course beer and wine will be available as well as sodas and water.

There will be approximately 50 vendors, some selling their wares, some handing out free educational information about their agencies. This is a day of fun, food, and music you do not want to miss!