June 01, 2022

Key West’s unique summer festivals are ready to welcome you to paradise. Let’s kick it off with Key West Pride and the I Love Stock Island Fest, followed by our love for Key Limes, Mermaids, Hemingway, and Lobster. Here’s your guide to the Key West Summer Festival Lineup and the best summer festivals from June through August in the Florida Keys. Start planning your summer getaway and add them to your festival calendar and travel bucket list.

JUNE

Key West Pride
June 1 - 5, 2022

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The Key West Business Guild showcases the diversity and welcoming atmosphere that makes the southernmost city a top vacation destination for LGBTQ visitors. The festival schedule includes pool parties, parades, drag shows by Key West’s top performers, a street fair on Duval Street, a burlesque-style show with an LGBTQ flair and the lively "Rainbow Roast." (Photo credit; Key West Pride Fest)

Learn more about Key West Pride Festival.

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I Love Stock Island Festival
June 15th - 19th

Stock Island is where you’ll find shipyards for shrimpers, lobstermen, and commercial fishermen, and it’s the home of the I Love Stock Island Festival, unique restaurants, eateries, and shops.

The festival is five days of music, seafood, art, games, history tours, food truck tours, a fishing tournament, and more!!

The “Taste of Stock Island Food Tour” is a guided exploration of local cuisine with stops at nine Stock Island restaurants and hotspots to savor small plates and beverage pairings. In addition to the many culinary events, there’s an art stroll on June 11th, 11 am - 5 pm. You can visit eclectic shops and working studios with multiple artists and disciplines from sculptures to woodworking, mosaics to screen printing, and soaps to fabric art.

Learn more about the I Love Stock Island Festival.

The Key Lime Festival
June 30th- July 4th

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We celebrate all things Key Lime during this 5-day citrus celebration. The festival includes culinary events, scavenger hunts, Key Lime Sip & Stroll, Key Lime Pie Hop, Cookbook Signings, a pie-eating contest on the beach, a Key Lime vendor village, and a Key Lime Pie drop from Key West Lighthouse.

New this year is the 1st Annual Chive Beats & Brunch Hosted at First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery. View the Key Lime Festival event schedule.

Good to know: Some of the events are free, and others are not. Some events sell out fast, so purchase tickets in advance.

Learn more about the Key Lime Festival in Key West!

JULY

Key West Mermaid Festival
July 1st - 5th

Another fun festival happening the first week of July is the 3rd Annual Key West Mermaid Festival.

KW-sfg_5 Breakfast with the Mermaids at Southernmost Beach Resort

This family-friendly festival features interactive mermaid adventures while raising awareness of oceans and salty shores. Events include mermaid meet-ups, swim encounters, ocean-themed parties and a weekend mermaid- and ocean-inspired marketplace at Truman Waterfront Park. A portion of festival proceeds benefits Reef Relief's efforts to protect the coral reef ecosystem.

Swim with the Mermaids, a special fintastic event scheduled for July 4th, from 10 to 2 pm at Lagerheads Beach Bar, located at the end of Simonton Street. Admission is free and part of the Key West Mermaid Festival. If you want to swim with the mermaids, you must purchase tickets in advance.

Learn more about Key West Mermaid Festival.

Hemingway Days
July 19th - 24th

The 41st annual celebration of the legendary author’s work and lifestyle features literary readings, the Running of the Bulls, a short story competition, fishing tournament, 5k Run and Paddleboard Race, Sloppy Joe’s Look-Alike Contest, and a birthday “party” commemorating Ernest’s July 21st birthday.

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Ernest Hemingway look-alikes push fake bulls around Duval Street during the ‘Running of the Bulls’ on July 24th, 2021, in Key West. A spoof of the event in Pamplona, Spain, Key West’s version features fake bulls on wheels and is part of the annual Hemingway Days festival. LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly

Sloppy Joe’s Bar was a frequent hangout for the legendary writer during his Key West years, and that’s why some of the most popular events are taking place there. A few of our favorites include the Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest, July 21st to the 23rd. Another crazy Hemingway event is when the Hemingway Look-alikes push the fake bulls around Duval street during the Running of the Bulls. Too much fun!

Learn more about Hemingway Days Festival.

AUGUST

25th Annual Key West Lobsterfest,
August 11th - 14th

Key West Lobsterfest is one of the summer's biggest parties as thousands of lobster lovers descend on Key West for four glorious days and nights in August to taste fantastic food and enjoy live music and free concerts.

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Lobsterfest events include Lobster Boils, Brunches, Duval Pub Crawl, a Street Fair and Concert, and more! The date for the Street Fair & Concert is Saturday, August 13th, from 1 pm-10:30 pm intersection of Duval St. and Greene St. The Killer Dudes take the stage at 4 pm, and Key West's #1 Rockers, The Durtbags, take the stage at 8 pm and close out the show!

Learn more about the Key West Lobsterfest.

Our Key West Harbor Resort will be serving fresh bites and delicious cocktail specials in honor of the festivities. There will be pool parties, food & drink specials, live music, etc., during some of these celebrations. Stay tuned to find out what’s happening by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

As the summer festival season heats up in Key West, remember that we may start as strangers, but we are sure to leave as friends. That sounds like the perfect summer to me. #lovethemarker

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