It's back: Fantasy Fest returns in full force to Key West after COVID shutdowns
396521 01: Costumed revelers participate in a Fantasy Fest October 26, 2001 in Key West, FL. The costume and mask event lasts 10 days. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
KEY WEST, Fla. - For two years, the small Key West community was without an annual tradition: Fantasy Fest – but all that changes this year.
The event kicks off Friday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The 10-day-long party runs through Oct. 30.
"Due to the COVID pandemic, this will be the first full Fantasy Fest since 2019," Fantasy Fest board chair Steve Robbins said. "So I know our guests and staff are excited about getting back to the real Fantasy Fest."
Dozens of themed events are set for the festival, including a nighttime parade featuring floats and elaborately costumed marching groups on Oct. 29. Participants are encouraged to draw costume ideas from the festival theme, "Cult Classics & Cartoon Chaos," portraying characters inspired by favorite cartoons and television or film productions with a cult following.
FROM 2020: For the first time, Fantasy Fest in Key West will be canceled
Events begin Friday with a Royal Coronation Ball to crown the festival king and queen, following a campaign that awards royalty to the two individuals who raise the most money for AH Monroe, a Keys-based organization providing care, housing, and education for HIV patients.
Key West’s Caribbean roots are celebrated this weekend with a Goombay street party in historic Bahama Village. Thousands of locals, costumed as zombies, are to participate in Sunday’s Zombie Bike Ride.
KEY WEST, FL - DECEMBER 10: In this handout photo, a float with a giant shark, themed "The Life Aquatic," rolls down Duval Street late during the Fantasy Fest Parade December 10, 2005 in Key West, Florida. The parade culminated Key West's annual Fant
Other highlights are Wednesday’s Pet Masquerade; a Thursday night toga party at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a watering hole frequented by Ernest Hemingway; next Friday’s Masquerade March; and a flamboyant Headdress Ball.
Initiated in 1979 as a way to bolster tourism revenues during a typically slow fall, Fantasy Fest accounts for some $40 million in economic impact, according to Keys tourism officials.
"Having a full-fledged Fantasy Fest also supports many not-for-profit organizations," Robbins said. "But it’s certainly a boost to our hospitality industry."
When it was scrapped in 2020, it was the first time Fantasy Fest was ever canceled. That year, the Florida Keys were closed to visitors for 10 weeks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
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In 2021, the parade and street were canceled due to a surge in coronavirus cases, but other events were held.
The Associated Press contributed to this report