Welcome to Fantasy Fest 2022 — Cult Classics & Cartoon Chaos ! We’re all ready to turn up the volume to 11 and celebrate this year. No matter what cartoon favorite or cult classic you choose to represent with this year’s theme, we are delighted that you have packed your bags full of costumes and decided to take on some ‘Cartoon Chaos’ with us this week for Fantasy Fest in Key West!
In true Key West style and Fantasy Fest tradition our One Human Family Vibes welcome everyone deserving of a great time this week. Supporting our communities’ nonprofits takes center stage throughout the week’s events. Please stop by The Studios of Key West, which is displaying the ‘floats’ for The Smallest Parade in the Universe to benefit the MARC House through October 22nd. Grab your ticket for Coronation as we crown our King and Queen of Fantasy Fest for A.H. of Monroe on the 21st – we have raised over $5 million in the 32 years that they have hosted this campaign! Support our Bahama Village Community Coalition during Goombay and join The Florida Keys Council of the Arts at our Official Poster Signing event on Tuesday, 10/25 at WINE-O – we will have 2022 posters on hand for signing! You will find events benefiting Breast Cancer, our Florida Keys SPCA, Lower Keys Friends of Animals, The Key West Business Guild, MOTE Marine and more!
Fantasy Fest is an annual 10-day costumed party in paradise for grown-ups. 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.
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 2023.
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, Jeff Smead, John Spottswood III
MEMBERS EMERITUS: Tony Falcone
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!
Put your recyclables in the RECYCLE BINS! Trash in the TRASH BINS!
Ride your Bike! We Cycle - Key West Bike Rentals will deliver bikes to you!
Take the DUVAL LOOP! Car-Free Key West’s free shuttle takes you all around Old Town Key West.
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 Opal Key Resort, 245 Front St. or MARC Plant Store , 1401 Seminary St. WE will also have volunteers collecting beads at the end of the Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade on Saturday.
922 Caroline St. | Key West, FL 33040 | 305-295-9112 info@fantasyfest.net | www.fantasyfest.com
NADENE GROSSMAN ORR Festival Director nadene@fantasyfest.com
Key West is a 4-mile-wide island so you can bike or walk anywhere. Choose one of our Green Transportation Partners and rent your BIKE Today!
WE CYCLE – Our Zombie Bike Ride producers offers free delivery and pick up for any bike you rent from them in Key West. They have three convenient locations. Call (305)294-7433 and reserve your ride today.
FURY BIKE RENTALS offers 15% off Bike Rentals with promo code FANTASY. 888-976-0899 or www.furykeywest.com
KEY LIME BIKE TOURS – 305-340-7834
If biking is not for you, don’t worry hop on the free Duval Loop and get dropped off down town. Want to take a diversion and see the sights? If you are staying on a sister island then Up The Keys, Uber, Lyft, Keys Shuttle and Ahoy Taxi will be providing shared rides the full 10 days of Fantasy Fest to Key West and festival central. Keep in mind after 4pm on Friday & Saturday October 28 &29 you will need to walk out of the Fantasy Zone and get picked up on or beyond Simonton Street for these forms of transportation.
The island of Key West encourages everyone to forget their cars once they get to the Keys. Walk, bike, or bus around town using any of the great options below. Help us make sure everyone arrives safely and happily at their destination this Fantasy Fest!
Almost every downtown destination is less than a 15-minute walk from another. Pay attention when crossing intersections, as cars and bicycles might not see you. Especially use caution downtown during the Captain Morgan Masquerade March and Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade.
Locals know that the best way to get around town is by bicycle. If you don’t already have access to a bike, there are many great bicycle rental stores around the island. Make sure they give you a light to use after dark! When on the road, act like a car. When on a sidewalk, yield to pedestrians. Be a PAL: Predictable, Attentive and Lawful at all times. Pedicabs are also great ways to let someone else do the bicycling for you.
• Maps showing bus stops and times, and real time service are available at www.kwtransit.com . Real time bus information is also available by calling 305-600-1455.
• The Lower Keys Shuttle is a great way to get to Key West from anywhere up to Mile Marker 52.5. One way cost is $4.00 and you get dropped downtown where the action is.
• Road closures begin the weekend of the Bahama Village Goombay Festival, Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, 2022, which causes delays and detours to regular bus service, scheduled pick-up points and times. Updated information will be posted at www.kwtransit.com
• On Friday Oct. 28, 2022, all bus service hours of operation will be extended until 12 midnight. Additionally, a City of Key West Park N Ride shuttle from Key West High School paid parking to the downtown area will operate from 4 PM until 12 midnight.
• On Saturday Oct. 29, 2022, all bus service hours of operation will be extended. Regular bus service will operate until 5 pm at which time ALL City and Lower Keys bus service will convert to SAFE RIDE shuttles (see below) for the Bud Light Fantasy Fest parade. Additionally, a City of Key West Park N Ride shuttle from Key West High School paid parking to the downtown area will operate from 10 AM until 12 midnight.
• The Duval Loop will be running all week during Fantasy Fest except there will be NO Duval Loop service on Saturday Oct. 29, 2022. It resumes Sunday morning.
• City bus routes will NOT provide any service west of Simonton Street on Saturday of Oct. 29 (Fantasy Fest Parade Day).
• Regular bus service will resume Sunday after 7 AM on Oct. 23 and 30, 2022, or as soon as streets are opened.
THE CITY OF KEY WEST DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS PLEASED TO PROVIDE SAFE RIDE SHUTTLE BUSES DURING THE BUD LIGHT FANTASY FEST PARADE.
• SAFE RIDE Shuttles will operate on Saturday Oct. 29, 2022 between 5PM and 12:30 AM. Due to traffic, specific schedules cannot be set, but you can check for real time bus arrival at www.kwtransit.com
• The designated drop off / pick up point for all SAFE RIDE shuttles is Fausto’s Food Palace on 522 Fleming Street.
• The Lower Keys Shuttle SAFE RIDE runs between Key West and Marathon and costs $4.00 each way. There will be at least 4 buses dedicated to this route. The last Lower Keys Shuttle will depart Key West no later than 12:00 AM (midnight) for the last trip towards Marathon. Plan ahead, seating is limited on the last bus out!
• Key West City SAFE RIDE buses (North Line and South Line) will follow a modified bus route and cost $2.00 each way. Final pickups for the City buses are at 12:30 AM.
• Updated schedules or changes will be posted on www.kwtransit.com
To ease traffic congestion and safety concerns, taxis and rideshare companies are asked to stay at or above (east) Simonton Street for pick up and drop offs. If you are requesting a taxi or rideshare, please walk towards Simonton to do so.
THESE 2022 PUBLIC PARKING SPECIAL EVENTS RATES BEGIN FRIDAY, OCT. 28 AT 8:00 AM AND END SUNDAY, OCT. 30, AT NOON. RESIDENTIAL PERMIT BENEFITS ARE VOID IN THESE LOTS DURING THIS TIME.
• Old Town Garage /Park N’ Ride: 300 Grinnell Street, $5 per hour or $40 per day.
• Firehouse Parking Lot: 624 Simonton St, $5 per hour, $40 per day (will be limited or unavailable 10/28 Friday & 10/29 Saturday)
• Key West Bight: 815 Caroline Street, $5 per hour or $40 per day.
• Mallory Square: 460 Wall Street, $6 per hour or $48 per day.
On Friday October 28th 3:30 PM – 8:00 PM and Saturday, October 29th 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM parking in front of Key West High School will be open to cars at a rate of $20 per vehicle. Key West Transit buses will run from 4PM to 12AM on Oct 28th as direct link between the high school and the SAFE RIDE Hub at Fausto’s Food Palace, 522 Fleming. On October 29th, buses will run from 10AM to 12 midnight. Bus rides to and from Key West High School are free. All parking fees raise funds for the KWHS Class of 2022. Overnight parking is okay, but vehicles must be gone sometime Sunday, Oct 30. Bus stop for car parking at the bus circle adjacent to the KWHS Auditorium. The last trip back to the high school leaves Fausto’s Food Palace at 12:30AM.
Oversized vehicles such as RV’s, Tour Buses, Motor Homes, etc. are not permitted to travel within the Old Town/Downtown area. City Ordinance prohibits parking oversized vehicles on city streets. Oversized vehicles are required to drop and pick up passengers east of White Street. RV’s and Motorhomes may park at Tour Bus parking, below and CANNOT park or drop off at any of the other options given.
Tour Buses, RVs and Motorhomes: Key West High School, 2100 Flagler Avenue. $50 with Reservation, $100 without reservation. Parking is allowed both Friday, Oct. 28 from 3:30 PM-8:00 PM and Saturday Oct. 29, 2022 from 10 AM to 8 PM. Friday reservations are REQUIRED in advance (margaret.kiefer@keysschools.com), no overnight parking.
Direct shuttle services are offered on Saturday only, from 10AM-12AM (midnight), rides are free. Bus stop for the bus parking is at the bus shelter on Bertha Street next to the hockey rink. The last trip back to the high school leaves Fausto’s Food Palace at 12:30AM.
Free 15-minute drop-off and pick-up only. Drivers must organize pick-up time with passengers before arrival. Buses must leave Historic district after discharging passengers. (Buses will not be permitted to drop-off or pick-up in any other locations)
• 1100 Simonton Street • 801 Caroline Street
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO FIND IN-TOWN PARKING, PLEASE REMEMBER:
• Be courteous and do not block private driveways, entrances, etc.
• Watch carefully for “No Parking,” including “Resident only,” areas. As the festival progresses, there will be additional no parking areas blocked off.
• Parking restrictions are strictly enforced. Towing may occur to keep traffic and festival activities moving smoothly. If your vehicle is towed, please call the Police non-emergency number 305-809-1000. Parking tickets may be paid in person, online or mailed in-details are on the ticket.
• Plan your exit route carefully to avoid being blocked by Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade activities or heavy congestion.
• Please watch for emergency vehicles attempting to access the very crowded side streets.
TO ACCOMMODATE THE MANY STREET ACTIVITIES DURING FANTASY FEST 2022, PORTIONS OF SEVERAL STREETS WILL BE CLOSED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES:
• Friday, Oct. 28, from 4 PM on: Duval Street expect closures from Front Street to Truman Avenue. Crossings at Front Street, Eaton Street, Fleming Street, Southard Street, Angela Street, Olivia Street, or Truman Avenue.
• Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, from 4 PM until parade end (~10pm):
o All of Duval Street from Front Street to United Street.
o Whitehead Street from Front Street to Truman Avenue.
o Southard Street from Truman Waterfront to Simonton Street.
• The following parking lots will be closed from 8 AM Friday, Oct. 28 until noon Sunday, Oct. 30: 500 block of Thomas Street, 300 block Fleming Street & 500 block of Angela Street.
Celebrate this year's Fantasy Fest theme, CULT CLASSICS & CARTOON CHAOS, with a cocktail that puts the "boop" in "Betty Boop.”
A tropical cocktail for a Betty Boop on vacation, "Betty Boop's Passion" is a hand-crafted cocktail made with Cruzan Passion Fruit Rum, Cruzan Light Rum, pomegranate schnapps, fresh sour juice,
Missouri born, Worth moved to America’s southernmost island in the mid 1980s to fulfill his dream of becoming an artist. It didn’t happen right away though. An incredibly handy man, he took a multitude of “odd jobs” — doing maintenance and landscaping for resorts, working at museums and eventually becoming a vocational trainer with the Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens.
Eventually, the Key West Art and Historical Society gave Worth his first studio and the chance to put his artistic skills to use. And those skills produced some of the most enticing, unique art Key West has ever seen. Worth has made his fair share of floats for Fantasy Fest! Now he does less building and more consulting for people looking to make a one-of-a-kind float.
Art lovers can stroll over to Key West’s Bahama Village neighborhood and view Worth’s most recent mural, located at the corner of Petronia and Thomas streets. The colorful panorama illustrates everyday life in vibrant Bahama Village. “Whenever someone is looking, I’m there to help make their dreams come alive,” said Worth. Today Worth paints from home, referring to his workplace as his “fort,” and shows his work at the Lucky Street Gallery on Key West’s Greene Street. We are excited to have Rick Worth as our 2022 Official Fantasy Fest Poster Contest Winner.
Hard Rock Cafe commemorates Fantasy Fest with the official 2022 souvenir pin. To get your own limited-edition pin, be sure to visit the Hard Rock Café at 313 Duval St.
Born and raised in Key West. Jack grew up behind the scene in the theater. As a visual artist and proud Key West native, the island landscape has always been his muse. He actually has had the pleasure with working with Rick Worth our Poster contest winner. For the last 12 years, Jack has been creating art non stop, not only his work but floats, theatrical sets, props and backdrops. His influence is local color as well as art in public places. He has a true desire to make a positive influence on the Key West art scene. We are excited to have Jack as our 2022 t-shirt art designer.
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. Hours of operation: 4pm - 9pm
Duval Street, Key West, FL
The Fantasy Fest Street Fair is now the Fantasy Market at the Truman Waterfront Park. Oh yes! Join your fellow revelers Friday, October 28 from 10 am to 5 pm for lots of great shopping, original local art, costumes & accessories, fun entertainment, and of course serious eats & drinks. Enjoy a live radio remote with Party 105.7 DJ spinning tunes, appearances by Fantasy Fest Royalty and score your official Fantasy Fest Merchandise. Vendors, makers, artists, crafters, photographers, jewelry, apparel, costumers, toys, non-profits, sponsors, culinary, food trucks and more will be set up in the grass at the picturesque Truman Waterfront Park overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Find that perfect Keysie souvenir, grab lunch and throw back a cocktail or two while you shop and support local. All ages, pet friendly event.
On Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29, portions of Duval Street and the adjoining side streets will be designated as the official Fantasy Zone. The city of Key West will temporarily suspend the open container law within the Fantasy Zone for these two days ONLY. Revelers can stroll, march, rumble, rumba or merengue while enjoying cocktails along Duval Street from Front to Truman Avenue, as well as intersecting cross streets from Simonton to Whitehead Street.
For your safety, glass bottles are not allowed. Please use the Festival To-Go Cup available at local bars and from vendors. Of course, thanks to our thoughtful city staff, all festival-goers may properly dispose of drink containers in the many recycle bins available at Fantasy Zone exits.
Port-o-lets are just about everywhere you may need to go during Captain Morgan Masquerade March, and the Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade. Fantasy Fest sponsor, Waste Management, is providing safe and clean relief stations bordering the Duval Street festival activities.
All festival attendees must have been born on or before the current date in 2001 to purchase or consume alcohol. Please make sure you have appropriate identification in order to purchase alcoholic beverages. Any person who purchases alcohol for a minor will be cited and arrested. We want you to enjoy the festival so please be mindful of this law.
Key West Fire Department personnel will provide first aid treatment through the use of emergency gators during the festival on Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29. In case of emergency, please call 911 with your location and the emergency vehicles will arrive as quickly as possible. Rescue trucks will be strategically stationed at various locations around the Fantasy Zone. Have fun and be safe!
The Key West Tourist Development Association and the Key West Police Department welcome you to Florida’s premier masking and costuming celebration and encourage you to participate in all of the many exciting events that make up Fantasy Fest. We want you to have a fantastic time but following a few simple rules will make Fantasy Fest 2022 a safe and enjoyable time.
• 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 outside the FANTASY ZONE. Please stay inside the party area while you are carrying open alcoholic beverages.
• 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 done in enclosed or screened-in areas, entirely out of public view. Painted breasts are permitted, but ONLY ALLOWED within the designated FANTASY ZONE.
• Please wear a cover-up to avoid ILLEGAL exposure on public property and on all city streets outside the FANTASY ZONE.
• No backpacks, coolers, packages, water guns, weapons or replica weapons are allowed.
• Please be courteous and respectful towards law enforcement officers and each other.
THE TERMS AND LOGOS, “FANTASY FEST,” “FANTASY FESTIVAL,” “FANTASY WEEK” AND THE THEME, “CULT CLASSICS & CARTOON CHAOS!” 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.
EACH YEAR, THE BUD LIGHT FANTASY FEST PARADE winds through the world famous Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. Lavishly decorated floats and costumed revelers entertain tens of thousands of spectators in the premier Fantasy Fest event. With this year’s “Cult Classics & Cartoon Chaos” theme, expect the 2022 Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade to dazzle and amaze you with silly cartoon favorites and cult film legends!
The Bud Light Fantasy Fest Parade route begins at the end of Southard Street, travels through Duval Street and the downtown business district to the Atlantic end of Duval. The parade steps off at 7pm on Saturday, October 29th.
A special area for wheelchair-accessible viewing of the 2022 Fantasy Fest Parade will be available on Duval Street at Truman Avenue. Accessible parking and port-o-lets will be available near the Gato Building at the corner of Virginia and Simonton Streets.
Barricades will be placed in congested areas along the parade route to keep spectators safe and to allow the parade entrants room to perform. These simple yet vital pieces of equipment can keep revelers from ending up under the wheels of a magnificent float. They’re put up with safety in mind, so please be a good sport when city employees begin setting them in place before the parade.
The parade needs extra leeway from the crowd at intersections where the procession makes turns. Please cooperate with parade ambassadors and law enforcement personnel to provide a safe turning radius for the parade vehicles.
Please be cautious around the barricades and step out of the way when city workers disassemble them after the parade. It’s a challenging job, at the end of a busy day, so please be appreciative when you see them hard at work.
More than 100 Parade Ambassadors will be stationed along the parade route to help keep the spectators out of harm’s way and from under the wheels of the rolling festivities. These very special people stay sober on party night to be the responsible shepherds of the Fantasy Fest Parade.
You will recognize these noble, fun-loving people by their distinctive T-shirts. They each have undergone extensive training sessions for this very important job and they are in radio contact with the parade director and law enforcement personnel. Please let them know we appreciate them. Smile, thank them, and cooperate with their directions.
Please ask permission before snapping photos of other party-goers and practice positive festival etiquette by treating other people’s costumes as works of art. Look and admire, but don’t touch!
Visit FantasyFest.com for the full schedule of events. Follow our Facebook page where we will have most current information and updates.
Petmasquerade@gmail.com
Key West Pet Masquerade
By Mandy Miles
Fantasy Fest is more than an event, it’s an experience. An artistic adventure and striking spectacle. It’s an epic party (and perhaps an unparalleled hangover).
It’s also an unlikely spot for environmental and economics lessons. We’re talking about the beads.
For 51 weeks a year, they’re worthless pieces of plastic, shiny trinkets whose value skyrockets on Duval Street in the last week of October, when they become currency. Beads are sold, traded and tossed by the handful from parade floats to clamoring crowds, desperate to catch them.
But let’s face it; they lose their value at last call on Saturday night. Do you really want to pack them into your suitcase, lug them home and toss the tangled heap into the back of a closet for a year? Or would you consider donating your beads to a Key West organization that helps developmentally disabled adults learn life skills and job training? Seems like a no-brainer, right?
MARC clients Francisco, left, and William, sort and bundle Fantasy Fest beads that have been sanitized, recycled and resold as a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization that helps developmentally disabled adults in Key West.The Monroe Association for Remarkable Citizens, known locally as MARC, created a bead recycling program that’s become one of the highlights of our festival.
For the past few years, MARC has collected Fantasy Fest beads after each festival. Its clients wash and sanitize every strand in industrial washers. They then practice counting and sorting skills to bundle the cleaned beads into batches of 10, clipped neatly together.
MARC then resells the beads the following year — in bundles of 10 and in giant, 30-pound mesh bag as a fundraiser for its programs.
“We’ve sold out every year since we started doing this,” said Jeffrey Mann, community inclusion coordinator and workshop manager for MARC. “I think we had about 1,800 pounds of beads this year.”
MARC started its bead recycling program five or six years ago, then was interrupted by COVID. But it’s back this year and bigger than ever. MARC’s float in this year’s Fantasy Fest Parade will feature giant hoops, targets and collection bins, encouraging parade spectators to toss their beads in and donate them for recycling. Bead collection bins are also located at most Key West hotels.
“When we’re able to explain to people in the crowd that we work with developmentally disabled adults, who recycle and resell the beads as a fundraiser, people can’t wait to help out. They’ll take the whole pile off from around their neck and donate them back to us. It’s been a great program,” Mann said.
And let’s face it, beads are a depreciating asset. They’re once again worthless by the time the bars give last call on Saturday night.
But don’t toss them in the trash or bury them in a closet back home for a year. And don’t buy new beads next year. There’s enough plastic in the world today.
Visit MARC at 1401 Seminary St., where the organization and its clients also run a nursery and plant store. Over the holidays, the center also doubles as a pumpkin patch and then a Christmas tree lot, the proceeds from all sales benefitting MARC.
Donate your beads during this year’s parade when you see the MARC collection float at the end of the parade. Leave them in the bins at your hotel. Or drop them off at 1401 Seminary St., Key West. Do you really need to take those plastic trinkets home with you? Or will you leave your beads behind this year to help a beloved Key West charity? Thank you for your support and, as always, enjoy the party.
William, a MARC client, sorts recycled Fantasy Fest beads that are sanitized and resold as a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization that helps developmentally disabled adults. MANDY MILES/Keys Weekly
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 51st 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.
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.
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.
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.
Bring the family out for some Halloween antics with your friends and neighbors. The final day of Fantasy Fest is all about the kids. It’s Children’s Day at Bayview Park, a family event featuring food, rides, games, arts and crafts and a costume contest for children.
Along with vendor booths run by local non-profits and youth organizations, supporting their year-round work in the community, there will be a variety of rides and activities. Let the kids wear their Halloween costumes and take part in the costume contest, and cheer for young stars showing off their talents on the gazebo stage. Food and activity prices vary – many items will be less than $5.
Putting together a waste management and recycling program for an event of this magnitude requires lots of people working together – including all of you fantastic visitors to our island paradise. Thank you for taking an extra few seconds to find a trash can or recycling bin.
Thanks to the efforts of our sponsors, the City of Key West and its Public Works and Community Relations Departments, Waste Management, the volunteers who help with the Street Fair and the Fantasy Fest Parade route recycling is a priority and there are hundreds of trash cans and recycling bins available during Fantasy Fest.
Public Works will extend their pick up hours during the heaviest days of the festival. Please help when you see cleanup service vehicles. Let them through so they can continue the trash collection and cleanup efforts that make our city picture perfect!
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