KEY WEST, Fla. — The island city’s wacky and sometimes-decadent costuming and masking festival kicked off Friday with a coronation ball to crown the 10-day festival’s king and queen.
Fantasy Fest began in 1979 when a small group of Key Westers dreamt up the event to bolster tourism business between summer and winter.
There are almost 100 events this year including Sunday’s family-friendly Zombie Bike Ride, the Wednesday Pet Masquerade, next Friday’s Masquerade March and the climax, the Fantasy Fest Parade set for next Saturday night that is expected to attract more than 60,000 revelers.
This year’s theme is “Oh… The Games We Play.”
