The Sunshine State –Florida, plays host to a number of popular festivals and events—NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, the Perdido Key’s Interstate Mullet Toss and the wild and the weird Fantasy Fest in Key West. The Fantasy Fest, which was started in 1978 in the hopes of getting tourists to the state during the non season months, nowadays pulls in a crowd of sixty to seventy thousand people from all over America and the World every October.
The Fantasy Fest, which is often dubbed as being a Halloween celebration for adults, is not for the mild hearted or for prudes. It is a festival of epic proportions that is fuelled by rum, music, nudity, parties, parades and fancy dressing of all imaginable forms. No wonder then, this is also not the fest you take your children to, as with every passing rum filled day, drunken debauchery and uninhibited behavior rules the roost. But if you are an adult who wants to just let go or at least view outrageous human behavior in a fun way, then the Fantasy Fest is definitely worth visiting at least once in your life.
The ten day festival begins with the Key West African-American Heritage Festival—the two day long Goombay Celebration in Bahama Village. The festivities include almost 40 official and a number of unofficial events before climaxing with the Captain Morgan Fantasy Fest Parade on the last Saturday before the festival ends.
Apart from the final parade, other popular events are the Pet Masquerade and Parade (pets in cross gender dresses), the Toga Party at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, the Beach Party at the Hog’s Breath, Fairvilla Megastore Masquerade March and the Caribbean Street Fair. Every night, there are a number of all night themed parties offering live entertainment, costume contests and lots of other exciting events and competitions. Body painting is a big thing throughout the ten days, and you can get all imaginable costumes and looks painted on for a small amount of money.
Each year, a different theme is decided for the festival, and they are also as wild and whacky as they come. This year’s theme for the festival, which begins on October 23rd, is “Circus & Sideshows”. If you are planning to attend the Fantasy Fest, then it is prudent to book in advance since almost all hotels are filled to bursting during the fest. Since Key West is a popular tourist place, options for accommodation are available to suit all kinds of tastes and pockets.
You can choose from a pick of bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, self service condos, motels, chain hotels and luxury hotels and resorts. However, be prepared to pay a slightly higher price than you would during normal days and book in advance. Most hotels will require a minimum five day stay if you are booking during the time that the festival is on or charge premiums if you are staying for a lesser number of days.
Sun, Sep 27, 2009
North America