Fantasy Fest 21 Guide

OCT. 22-31 FANTASYF E S T.COM

DIRECTOR’S WELCOME

Welcome to Fantasy Fest 2021 — All a Daze for a Holiday! We’re all ready to unwind, relax and celebrate this year. No matter what holiday you choose to celebrate with this year’s theme, we are delighted that you have packed your bags full of costumes and decided to take a ‘Holiday-Vacation’ with us this week for Fantasy Fest in Key West!

Whether you’re on Santa’s naughty or nice list – all are welcome and deserving of a great time this week. Please stop by The Studios of Key West, which is displaying the ‘floats’ for The Smallest Parade in the Universe to benefiting the MARC House. Join Imagery Wine & The Florida Keys Council of the Arts at our Official Poster Signing event on Friday, 10/29 at WINE-O – we will have both 2021 and 2020 posters on hand for signing! Enjoy our first annual – BAR MASQUERADE – Saturday, 10/30. Tickets are required and include a FREE past year fest T-shirt! Show off your costumes and enjoy specialty cocktails or shots at each stop, presented by Dulce Vida Tequila & Captain Morgan.

ABOUT FANTASY FEST

Fantasy Fest is an annual 10-day costumed party in paradise for grownups. Started in 1979 by a small group of Key West locals, the party was created to bring visitors to the island in what was a typically quiet, but beautiful season. It worked. Fantasy Fest has grown every year since its inception and is now the wildest extravaganza around! Fun-loving revelers from around the globe bring their creativity and imaginations as they descend upon Key West each year in October for 10 days of costuming, libations and excitement.

FANTASYFEST.COM

@FANTASYFESTKW

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@FANTASYFESTKW

#FANTASYFEST

VISIT FANTASYFEST.COM

A huge thank you to sponsor Two Oceans Digital, which creates our dazzling website, featuring an extensive photo gallery, a complete schedule of events and links to the generous partners who help make Fantasy Fest possible. Be sure to log on and see what’s new. And, don’t forget to check back and see what we have planned for 2022.

FANTASY FEST BOARD OF DIRECTORS KEY WEST TOURIST DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION: Steve Robbins, PRESIDENT | Bill Murphy, VICE PRESIDENT Diane Schmidt, TREASURER | Nadene Grossman Orr, FESTIVAL DIRECTOR MEMBERS: Charlie Bauer, Hugh Morgan, Noah Singh, Fred Bushey and Matt Trahan MEMBERS EMERITUS: Tony Falcone

WE TAKE ‘GOING GREEN’ SERIOUSLY – PLEASE DO YOUR PART THIS WEEK AND HELP US TO BE EVEN GREENER!!

➊ Participate in our Festival-wide to-go cup program! You get

a great price on 16 oz. beverages all week. We challenge you to use only ONE CUP for the entire week!

➋ Put your recyclables in the RECYCLE BINS! Trash in the TRASH BINS! ➌ Ride your Bike! We Cycle - Key West Bike Rentals will deliver

bikes to you!

➍ Take the DUVAL LOOP! Car-Free Key West’s free shuttle takes you all

around Old Town Key West.

➎ Give us your beads! We recycle Fantasy Fest beads for Monroe

Association for Remarkable Citizens (MARC House). Please bring your beads to the collection bin at Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, 4 Charles St. OR to the MARC Plant Store, 1401 Seminary St.

CONTACT US

922 Caroline St. | Key West, FL 33040 | 305-295-9112 info@fantasyfest.net | www.fantasyfest.com

NADENE GROSSMAN ORR Festival Director nadene@fantasyfest.com

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OCT.

2 8 Key West 9PM-close

Costume Contest:

1st Place: $500 tab.

2nd Place: $250 tab.

3rd Place: $100 tab.

PARTY LIKE A FLOCK STAR!

Wear your sexiest pink costume or pink body paint to the best Thursday night party for over a decade. Featuring limited edition Flocking Fabulous Rosé Daiquiri, live entertainment with DJ Gyver, party favors while supplies last.

305 DUVAL STREET |

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10/12/21 3:07 PM

HANKS’ HAIR OF THE DOG SALOON PRESENTS

ROCK THE TATAS

CONTEST

OCTOBER 26, 7PM JOIN US IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER FIRST PLACE PRIZE $500!

ADDITIONAL CASH PRIZES FOR SECOND AND THIRD PLACE DJ AND SPECIAL PERFORMANCES

BY ROB BENTON & FRIENDS

A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS BENEFITING MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER BODY PAINTING ARTIST ONSITE IF YOU WANT TO FANCY UP YOUR TATAS! $20 COVER AND $20 ENTRY FEE 409 CAROLINE STREET | KEY WEST

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TAKE HOME MORE THAN MEMORIES

POSTER DESIGN 2021 WINNER Carrie Disrud attended Grand Rapids Junior College, Merrill Fashion institute and Ohio State University. Her early work started with Herman Miller as a space planner and office systems illustrations. While in Chicago she worked as a fashion illustrator for Billy Falcon’s House of Fashion & Design.

Her art career soon followed, and her works (paintings, sculpture & furniture) were shown in galleries in Chicago, @ Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Saugatuck, Michigan, Indiana and Key West. She has juried into many fine art fairs, and in 1995 she received the honor of creating the The New Eastside Art 6th annual poster image in Chicago. In 2001 she was chosen to be one of 12 to participate in the Bread and Roses/SEIU’s Social Justice 2002 calendar, the originals travel from New York to Washington, DC. Her work was purchased to be in the permanent collection of SEUI. In 1992 she and her husband Thom Joris opened “Kalypso Gallery.” It was a fun place to look at all kinds of great art — paintings to art wear and everything in between.

The monthly seasonal art openings lasted for 16 years. Carrie also donates her time and art to good causes, including the Anne McKee Foundation, AIDS Help Inc, the board of Key West Art Association, and Friends of the Library-Monroe County.

Disrud considers herself an outsider, or nontraditional, artist. “With no formal training, I sorta fell into an indefinable category. It’s definitely soulful, sometimes mystical or cryptic but... it’s me,” she said.

Most recently, in December 2020 she completed a mural for the SOS Foundation; a magical community kitchen/food service on United Street in Key West.

HARD ROCK CAFÉ’S COLLECTABLE PIN Hard Rock Cafe commemorates Fantasy Fest with the official 2021 souvenir pin.

To get your own limited-edition pin, be sure to visit the Hard Rock Café at 313 Duval St.

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TAKE HOME MORE THAN MEMORIES

POSTERS Each year, the Fantasy Fest organizers put out a call to artists to create and design the poster imagery that will highlight the festival and its annual theme. With 2020 being the year of COVID, we’re excited to honor last year’s winning poster design now.

Pashur, an award-winning illustrative artist and world-renowned body paint artist grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after he graduated Memphis College of Art in the mid ‘90s he saw pictures of Fantasy Fest on the internet and he imagined how cool it would be to attend. In 2002 while living in Orlando, Pashur finally decided to go paint live bodies at Fantasy Fest in Key West. He’s been doing it every October since and has won several body-paint competitions held during Fantasy Fest.

Key West Magazine dubbed this incredibly talented artist “the Picasso of Body Painting.” His favorite event in the world, Fantasy Fest, has become such a major part of his life and career and his illustrative artwork is gaining a fan base among the Key West locals. Though he now lives in Los Angeles, daydreaming of Key lime pie while stuck on the 405 highway, he always returns to Key West any chance he can to soak up the creativity and Key West flavor. www.canvasalive.com www.pashurillustration.com

T-SHIRTS

By Bianca Cinnamon - New Orleans.

Art Deco-inspired, slightly abstract and geometric style art for the win!

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ONLINE CONTEST & HARD ROCK CAFE KEY WEST IN PERSON COMPETITION

REGISTER NOW!

224 DUVAL ST, KEY WEST (305) 296-4565

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THE GREATER KEY WEST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS PLEASED TO SPONSOR THE REDDY ICE FANTASY FAÇADE

FACADE CONTEST

DECORATE YOUR DIGS TO WIN BIG

510 Greene St., 1st Floor | Key West 305-294-2587 | www.keywestchamber.org

TUESDAY, OCT 26, 8PM

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LATITUDES AT SUNSET KEY Enjoy flavorful island cuisine and gorgeous views of the Gulf of Mexico while dining in casual elegance.

Advance reservations required. Board the private launch at Slip 29,

245 FRONT ST 305.292.5394 OPENTABLE.COM

Discover what makes Bistro 245 one of the best dining experiences in Key West — exceptional service, delicious cuisine, an extensive selection of affordable wines by the glass and breathtaking views of the Key West Harbor.

HOURS: 7AM-10PM RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED Free parking while dining. Please present parking ticket to server for validation.

245 FRONT ST 305.292.4320 OPENTABLE.COM

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20th annual living art expo key west’s fantasy fest friday, oct 29th, 2021

DOORS OPEN 7PM / EVENT STARTS 8PM TICKETS ARE $95 OR $150 FOR TABLE SEATING (SOLD IN PAIRS) VIP WILL INCLUDE BACKSTAGE ACCESS WITH THE MODELS, 3-HOUR OPEN BAR, PASTA STATION DINNER

A SHOWCASE OF THE HUMAN FORM AS A LIVING CANVAS

CONTESTANT ENTRIES ARE OPEN TO FEMALE, MALE OR GROUP MODELS COMPETING FOR THE TITLE OF BEST OVERALL LIVING ART OF FANTASY FEST 2021 AND $3,000 IN CASH AND PRIZES. BEST OVERALL WINS $1,000 IN CASH. INFO AND CONTESTANT REGISTRATION 305.295.7047 OR DINING@OCEAKEY.COM 17

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We guarantee an unforgettable Key West getaway.

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Fill in the blank of these popular spooky songs!

of London - Warren Zevon (1978)

6401 Maloney Ave., Key West 305-294-1465

Don't the - Blue Öyster Cult (1976) The - Eminem & Rhianna (2013) Time - Cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) for you - The Black Keys (2010) All answers will be available on weow927.com and us1radio.com

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211 C Duval Street

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ALL THE KEYS • ALL THE ARTS ALL THE TIME

keys arts

FLORIDA KEYS COUNCIL OF THE

keysarts.com 305-295-4369

WE SUPPORT • WE CONNECT WE PROMOTE • WE GIVE

1319 DUVAL ST | KEY WEST

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“RICH WITH AROMAS OF DARK CHOCOLATE, SLATE, CEDAR AND COFFEE...”

DOWNLOAD THE IMAGERY AUGMENTED REALITY APP

WWW.IMAGERYWINERY.COM

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SCORE AWARDED TO VINTAGE 2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON. TRY OUR27 LATEST RELEASE. © 2019 IMAGERY ESTATE WINERY, GLEN ELLEN, CA ALL THIRD PARTY BRAND NAMES AND TRADEMARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS AND ARE NOT MEANT TO IMPLY AN ENDORSEMENT OF IMAGERY ESTATE WINERY

THE SMALLEST PARADE IN THE UNIVERSE WILL GO ON IN 2021!

This fundraiser for MARC, the Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens is an official Fantasy Fest event.

OCTOBER 23, 7PM

LIVE-STREAMED FROM THE STUDIOS OF KEY WEST ALL FLOATS ARE AUCTIONED OFF AT THE END OF THE PARADE. This year we are partnering with The Studios of Key West and the floats will be exhibited for the ENTIRE month of October in the Main Gallery!

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FIRSTFLIGHTKW.COM | 305-293.8484 | 301 WHITEHEAD ST.

book at captronwolek.com or 407-873-2237

Your SEXY

GET BODY PAINTED BY CAPT RON WOLEK AT HARD ROCK CAFE KEY WEST

Costume Headquarters

WIN A FREE 5 DAY BODY PAINT PASS HARD ROCK CAFE KICK OFF PARTY, OCT 24, 6PM-8PM BEARD CONTEST OCT 24, 12PM-3PM AT HARD ROCK CAFE

Unique Costumes - Wigs - Masks - Glitter - Accessories

524 Front St, Key West 29

Fairvilla.com

OFFICIAL SCHEDULE 30

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CODE OF CONDUCT THE KEY WEST POLICE DEPARTMENT SUMMARIZES THE FOLLOWING RULES AND LAWS

BY WHICH YOU MUST ABIDE: • No glass containers are allowed. Drink from our FESTIVAL TO-GO CUP, or paper or plastic cups provided by bars and vendors.

• Open containers of alcohol are not allowed.

• Nudity is ILLEGAL and is NOT allowed on public property or in public view at any time.

• Lewd acts on public property or in public view are strictly ILLEGAL and will NOT be tolerated.

• Body-painting is allowed, but must be performed in enclosed or screened-in areas, entirely out of public view. Please wear a cover-up to avoid ILLEGAL exposure on public property and on all city streets.

• No backpacks, coolers, packages, water guns, weapons or replica weapons are allowed.

Please be courteous and respectful towardlaw enforcement officers and each other.

THE TERMS AND LOGOS, “FANTASY FEST,” “FANTASY FESTIVAL,” “FANTASY WEEK” AND THE THEME, “ALL A DAZE FOR A HOLIDAY!” ARE THE SOLE PROPERTIES OF THE KEY WEST TOURIST DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, INC. AND ARE PROTECTED BY LAW. ANYONE USING THE LOGO OR TERMS MENTIONED WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE KEY WEST TOURIST DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION, INC. WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW.

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200 WILLIAM ST | KEY WEST 40

OFFICIAL EVENT

K INKY

C OUPLE S PARTY Key West’s Largest Couples-Onl y Event!

STRICTLY COUPLES ONLY Come Together, Leave Together

Hosted by R U B B ER D O L L In the Upstairs CABARET

Friday & Saturday October 29 & 30 Shows: 8pm & 11pm

801 DUVAL at PETRONIA Tickets: KeysTix.com 41

HOW DID THIS PARTY GET STARTED?

By Mandy Miles

Jo

a and e Liszk

Frank R

omano

Joe Liszka and Frank Romano solved problems. As business owners, philanthropists and community improvers, the late, longtime Key Westers — partners in all things — found opportunity in obstacles and adapted readily to unintended consequences.

In the final months of the 1960s, the problem was as simple as a sunburn. Their answer was Key West Aloe, the skin care company they launched in 1971 in the heart of Old Town.

The multimillion-dollar enterprise is now celebrating its 50th year.

Although Romano died in 2011 and Liszka in 2015, the company continues the legacy that started when a Key West local introduced the pair to the soothing powers of the aloe vera plant.

Romano was a chemist and cosmetics researcher, while Liszka was a master perfumer. The two had sold a cosmetics company and relocated to Key West, which Liszka initially described in the early ‘70s as a “broken down little town.”

At the time, he wasn’t entirely wrong. The Navy had recently pulled anchor and vacated the island whose economy had long depended on the military’s presence and personnel. By the mid-’70s, Duval Street was lined with vacant buildings, and boarded-up shops.

From April to October, visitors were as scarce as shade, disappearing faster than ice cubes in August once the air grew thick with humidity.

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Without the Navy, Key West’s economy was inconsistent and unreliable for local business owners and their employees.

The problem was serious, but Frank and Joe resolved once again to be part of the solution. They and their fellow business owners knew what Key West had to offer — an endless summer, bountiful blue-green water and an attitude more welcoming than they’d found anywhere else.

Key West was all but empty in September and October, when families returned to school time schedules and the island’s seasonal snowbirds didn’t typically return until November or December.

But four business owners knew people would fall in love with Key West’s autumn offerings — if only they had a reason to come.

Photo

by Hay

s Blinc

kman

In a now-legendary decision, Frank Romano and Joe Liszka joined forces with another dynamic duo, Bill Conkle and Tony Falcone, who owned Fast Buck Freddie’s eclectic department store on Duval Street. The foursome formed the Tourist Development Association (not to be confused with the county’s Tourist Development Council that would come years later). The TDA decided to throw a party and invite the whole world. In 1979, they did just that.

They called the party Fantasy Fest, then watched it grow.

a Tony F

Today’s official Fantasy Fest website (a far cry from 1979’s marketing efforts) has this to say about the event’s evolution: “If you’ve ever spent any time on Key West’s Duval Street, you’d imagine there’s always a party going on, but that wasn’t always true. Back in the 1970s, despite reliably beautiful weather, from a retail and tourism standpoint, October was dead.

Shops up and down Duval, put out the ‘gone fishin’’ signs and closed for months at a time. A group of local business owners started thinking about what they could do to change that by attracting visitors and tempting snowbirds to return sooner for an earlier start to the lucrative winter season. Bill Conkle, Tony Falcone, Joe Liszka and Frank Romano decided a big party might just do the trick. Taking advantage of the popularity of Halloween and the local tradition of fanciful costuming, in 1979, they threw a parade.”

Over the next five to 10 years, word spread like wildfire and marketing tools advanced. The term “parade” became an understatement. Fantasy Fest had grown into a multi-day festival, featuring costume contests, masquerade marches, art exhibits, street fairs and dance parties.

Fantasy Fest evolved into Key West’s largest annual event, drawing an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people to the tiny island each year. And while it looks much different today than when Frank, Joe, Tony and Bill first dreamed it up, Fantasy Fest remains a place where imagination overcomes inhibitions, if only for a week.

WELCOME TO THE PARTY.

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Experience an inviting, upscale wine bar and store nuzzled in the energy of Duval Street. Wine-O’s extensive collection of wines includes your favorites, cult-classics and hard-to-find gems from top wineries around the country. ________________

Join us for Jazz Music on Thursdays in the month of October!

Hours of Operation: 5:00PM—9:00PM

WINE SHOP | TASTING ROOM | LOUNGE 430 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040 44

HEROES & VILLAINS 5K ThemeRuns.com OCTOBER 28TH, 11-3 PM Visit www.KeysRealEstate.com for a full list of our open houses & check our Facebook page!

Monday Oct. 25, 6pm

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HISTORIC TOURS OF AMERICA PRESENTS

FAMILY EVENT

OCTOBER 31ST NOON5PM

FOOD | GAMES | MUSIC, PONY RIDES | ARCHERY | ARTS & CRAFTS | FACE PAINTING LOCATED ON ISLAND FARM (at the end of 5th Sreet, Stock Island) 3052928912 FOR INFORMATION

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