KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Key West鈥檚 Fantasy Fest began Friday, launching a 10-day schedule of masquerades, elaborate parties and costume competitions.
The masking and costuming festival is themed 鈥淯niforms & Unicorns: 200 Years Of Sailing Into Fantasy鈥� to salute the Florida Keys鈥� 2023 bicentennial and that of the U.S. Navy鈥檚 presence in
The Fantasy Fest schedule features nearly 100 events including Sunday鈥檚 Zombie Bike Ride, the Pet Masquerade for costumed pets and their people, the flamboyant Headdress Ball and the Masquerade March that draws several thousand costumed participants in historic Old Town.
Events are to culminate next Saturday night, when some 60,000 spectators are expected to line Key West鈥檚 downtown streets for the Fantasy Fest Parade, a procession of large-scale motorized floats, costumed marching groups and island-style dancers in colorful feathered attire.
The festival has been notoriously famous for its decadent motif, but during the past few years, festival officials have focused their efforts on creative costuming and an effort to create more PG-rated events.
Fantasy Fest debuted in 1979 to boost the fledgling tourism economy during a slow period. Now, tourism officials said, it brings approximately $30 million in annual revenues to the Florida Keys.
The Associated Press
