Pre-Festival

Fantasy Fest has been going on all this past week in Key West. It started last Friday with the crowning of the King & Queen and ends tomorrow when the fat lady sings...literally...@ the festival's final event, The Fat Lady Sings Tea Dance. Tonight, however, is when the largest event occurs, the Parade, and they expect 55,000 revelers to be along the route. Jeff and I are going to head that way around 3 this afternoon with the parade starting @ 7pm. That will allow us a little time to find a parking spot, check out the street fair, and maybe have a pirate punch @ Captain Tony's. Jeff and I are both Fantasy Fest virgins, so we will just have to see how much of the madness we can stand. There are a couple of webcams available so you can see for yourself and a parade cam as well. Originally conceived in 1978 as a way to boost the local economy in the slow season, Fantasy Fest has come a long way from it's humble beginnings as merely a street fair. The 10 day festival now includes a coronation [precede by several months of campaign events], balls, parties, parades [pet & people], masquerades, body-painting, costume contests, and a wide variety of other events - all with an air of debauchery. I have to get dressed now, but check back to see how this whole thing turns out. I'll be taking lots of pictures!