No Need for Justification: Every Day is a Celebration

Though it doesn’t require an occasion, Key West is filled with reasons to celebrate. For starters, the sunsets. As the afternoon turns to evening, both locals and tourists gather at Mallory Square to enjoy performances by jugglers, mimes, animal trainers, and musicians while cheering on the sun as it dips below the Gulf of Mexico.

Around Halloween, Key West elevates the costume party to an art form during Fantasy Fest, where extravagant floats and elaborately dressed (or undressed) participants parade through the streets into the early morning hours.

Most visitors can’t resist stopping at one of Duval Street’s iconic bars. Key West was a beloved haunt of Ernest “Papa” Hemingway, one of the most renowned writers of the 20th century. Each July, the island commemorates its Papa with Hemingway Days, featuring literary tours, theatrical performances, and a fishing tournament in his honor, along with the Running of the Bulls, a tribute to the event in Pamplona, Spain, that Hemingway famously popularized. The highlight of the week is the Ernest Hemingway Look-Alike Contest.

The fun isn’t confined to land. The waters surrounding Key West are alive with world-class game fish, drawing anglers to fierce tournaments throughout the year.