Lighted Boat Parade

Saturday night, Kenn and I found a spot on the pier, dangled our bare feet over the water and settled in to watch the boats line up for the Schooner Wharf's Lighted Boat Parade. It was a warm evening, about 70 degrees with a light breeze from the ocean, and we were glad we'd topped our shorts with light sweatshirts. 

                                                                                                                                                                 

I decided not to lug along my big camera. Partly because I'm lazy and partly because I haven't got a decent low light lens. Hint to my husband: my camera brand is canon. I know he's already shopped for Christmas but my April birthday is right around the corner.

When we figured we'd seen everything there was, we headed over to Duval to people watch.

For Key West locals, the Lighted Boat Parade signals the start of Christmas. What kicks off the holiday for you?

Fantasy Fest 2012

Me with two new friends one night of the festival

You ever get the urge to run wild through the streets in naked debauchery?  It's probably not a good idea where you live, but if you come down to Key West, you can. Sort of. Every October for 10 days, Fantasy Fest takes over the streets, letting thousands of people live out their wildest fantasies while raising money for aids related charities. From Fetish parties to a headdress ball to lavish costume parades and extreme body painting, Fantasy Fest is one wild ride. 

Thanks to a nasty cold that knocked me out for the first seven days of the festival, that photo of me, on the right, is about as wild as I got. 

In the end, my daughter's godfather, Lee, came down for the last few days and we hit the streets to take pictures.  

If you're over 18, check out some of my photos of painted festival goers. Be aware - there's a wonderful amount of nudity and not everyone is 25 and in shape. The majority of people were saw were well over 40. At one point, my husband heard a guy exclaim, "cool, I finally see a naked girl my age."  Feel free to link to our site. Please don't copy the photos from the page.  Thanks. 

The festival closes with a parade. Some of the floats are creative and clever. Some made no sense at all.  Everybody has a really good time as you can see in these photos. 

Fantasy Fest 2013 is scheduled for October 18th - 27th. If you plan on coming down, make hotel reservations and buy your event tickets as early as you can. This is a very popular festival and sells out quickly. If you show up, spur of the moment, you won't find a place to stay the night and you might have to drive a few hours back up the keys looking for a hotel. Keep an eye on the official site for event details. If you decide to join in the body painting, keep an eye out for the posted signs regarding the festival zones. If you stray outside the designated areas, you'll quickly find yourself in police custody and it's expensive enough down here without having to worry about bail money. 

Fantasy Fest 2012 - the Closing Parade

This is part 3 of the Fantasy Fest 2012 Post. Most of the photos are PG friendly but I'd recommend you view them without children around.

Mark and I were at the end of the parade route, so the crowds are pretty thin. If you go, and want to be in the thick of things, find a spot down near Sloppy Joe's about an hour before things start.

Our favorite float. 

the book had a flask and shot glasses inside. 

Her aim was spot on. The beads hit me in the teeth. 

They did this whole ritual thing. I was so busy watching I forgot to take pictures. 

She's a jellyfish! There was another red one a few feet behind her. 

Me, our friend Deanna and Mark. We ended up with a zillion of those necklaces. 

And she brought up the rear. I didn't get a photo of her front.