Parrot Heads in Paradise

Season is in full swing and after the grand opening of our season with a tremendous Fantasy Festival, the island is ready to entertain and enthrall.  Visitors to the island this week my come across fully grown adults with Parrot Head hats on, or a Shark Head hat and donned in Hawaiian garb.  Do not be alarmed, these are the 'Parrot Heads' and they descend on Key West every year to celebrate life, living in the moment and to honor their mentor, Jimmy Buffet.  This November 1-November 4th is the 21st annual 'Meeting of the Minds" convention, the gathering of Parrot Heads from across the nation.  The convention activities are mainly for the registered Parrot Heads, but those of us who are not in the club can enjoy the great music and a street fair that will be taking place in honor of the Parrot Heads. Friday Nov 2 from 1-5:30pm is the Margaritaville Street Festival on the corner of Duval and Fleming Streets.  On Sunday November 4 the Green Parrot Bar and the Schooner Wharf will be jamming Caribbean Music and Magic for all to enjoy.  Enjoy the show! For more information visit:http://www.phip.com/MOTM_Schedule.asp

The Fantasy Festival has arrived!

This past weekend opened the week of Fantasy Fest with jubilee.  The Goombay Festival kicked off the event, followed by the creepy Zombie Bike Ride and the oh-so- fun and cute Pet Parade; and this is just the beginning.  Duval Street is swarming with people all gussied up in Fantasy Fest regalia.  The theme this year is AConchALypse, which could pretty much mean anything you can darn well think of!  There is the traditional Halloween dress of witches, and ghosts and the like, then the naughty costumes of devils, school girls and you get the idea; and the body painting and the classic drag outfit and the very exotic and themed costumes that will amaze and delight.  The week long event of parties, parades and costume balls end on Saturday night with the grand street parade.  All proceeds go to AIDS Help.  It is a party quite like no other.  if you have never experienced a Fantasy Festival in Key West, you must! For a calender of events and the official Fantasy Fest schedule visit: http://www.fantasyfest.com/

3rd Annual Zombie Bike Ride

One of the kick off events for Fantasy Fest, which starts at the Recycle Bicycle Shop on Stock Island, is the Zombie Bike Ride.  This will be the 3rd year for this kooky and ghoulish parade, and it is quickly becoming one of the favored events to kick off the Festival week.  Zombies gather at the ReCycle Bike shop on Stock Island at 3pm.  If you need some assistance becoming 'zombiefied', there is face painting available at the shop and a raucous pre-parade party.  At 6pm sharp the Zombies take to their creepy crawly bikes and ride en mass to Salute on the beach for a DJ and zombie beach walk.  At 7:30pm the zombies leave the beach and head down to Duval Street infiltrating the town, and creating the Zombie Bike Festival.  Watch out!!!  The great thing about being a Zombie is that anyone can be a zombie, just a little tad of death paint and blood and you are good to go!  The bike shop will rent bikes to zombies without them and bike lights are a must!  Join in on the fun, be a zombie for a night and take over the town.  For more information and details go to:http://www.zombiebikeride.com/.

Goombay is in the air!

The cooler air blew in just two days ago and it is glorious!  The cooler north wind brings our winter season and our Goombay Festival. This exuberant street party showcases island arts and crafts, music and food in the heart of Key West's historic Bahama Village neighborhood. Goombay weekend marks the beginning of the Fantasy Fest, the island city's 10 day masking and costuming gala.  The Goombay Festival centers around Petronia Street in Bahama Village. There is a musical stage featuring Caribbean-influenced entertainers, with live music ranging from gospel to reggae, great Island art and foods from a variety of cultures.  A festival not to be missed, it opens on Friday October 19, noon - 12am and Saturday Oct 20, noon -12am. To see schedule of events and for more information visit:  http://bahamavillagegoombay.com/

Getting Ready for the Season

October is a great month at the Mermaid & The Alligator.  After closing for 3 weeks in September and doing general maintenance, painting and deep cleaning the home is sparkling, beautiful and ready to receive guests.  The Mermaid staff is rested after a 3 week hiatus and ready to welcome new visitors from around the world.  October has an anticipatory energy as the locals await the day when the cooler air moves in blowing away the humidity. It is then that we know the season has really begun. The restaurants all open their doors with new items on the menu, the local theaters advertize thier upcoming season and festival after fun festival takes to the streets of Key West. Both Caya and Havana bounce around the house ready to greet and play with the arriving guests.  Many of our regular Mermaid Guests return and it is always great to hear about their news over the past year and equally as fun tell them about our news and great events in Key West.  With the Fantasy Festival just a couple weeks away, locals are planning their costumes for the 'local parade' and joining in on the fund raising efforts for AIDS HELP.  Its a great time of year to be in Key West! We look forward to a great upcoming season and greeting new guests, and thank you to all of our past guests, we hope you can return again soon!- The Mermaid Staff