The "Official" Fantasy Fest 2005

Party Pictures - Updated	- For general comments, don't forget to contact me personally or head to the MySpace page Well, I can't say much since I wasn't at the official Fantasy Fest this year. However, I would like to thank all of those who submitted their photos. So, without further ado, here's the pics...enjoy! Because of Hurricane Wilma, Fantasy Fest 2005 was cancelled & an "official" Fantasy Fest was postponed until mid-December 2005. However, we still decided to go & we took pictures of the "unofficial" Fantasy Fest - where (under deplorable conditions) the locals decided continue the Fantasy Fest tradition. I was there - look at the photos below:
Living Arts Contest
Hog's Breath Bikini Contest

The "Unofficial" Fantasy Fest 2005

2005…what can I say? This Key West excursion went down as the weirdest year for Fantasy Fest. First of all, the “official Fantasy Fest 2005” is in December. But, do you think that stopped me and the locals? Hell no! So, what you're seeing here is the “unofficial Fantasy Fest 2005”. Think about it – what would you do if your island got flooded, your car doesn't work, and you have serious damage to your home? Well, in Key West, they party! Here's the event timeline:

Friday – The Intro – Initially, I was supposed to come by boat. However, Hurricane Wilma changed everything. And, it turned out my car had a serious problem the day before I left. Thankfully, my parents allowed me to borrow their convertible Sebring. So, driving from Naples to Key West went by pretty quickly – a new CD burned for the KW trip, a convertible car, some cash, my glasses, and an unstoppable urge to get away from it all. My arrival – one hour earlier than expected and a great place to stay – thanks George! Since this was the “unofficial” Fantasy Fest 2005 weekend, I wasn't expecting much – maybe some costumes and that was it. However, our 1st excursion on Duval Street reminded me never to underestimate the spirit of the islanders. There we were walking down Duval…what's this? The locals decided to make a parade out of nowhere – costumes and all – it felt like this was the 1st annual Fantasy Fest – die-hards and locals gathering together for a celebration of life and loving it. I switched my camera on and got some great shots. Flamingo heads, the naked mad-hatter, and many transvestites. This was going to be a great weekend!

Saturday – Day of Debauchery – After a day of shopping/eating/ect., there was word of a bigger parade for Saturday night. So, I got out my breast doctor outfit and headed to the Hog's Breath for the start. There I was greeted by so many – beautiful women, great costumes, and conversations that you'd never tell you mom about. Oh, and did I mention the free alcohol along the way? Inebriated, we all hop from bar to bar, talking, “examining”, and really getting in the Key West spirit – that exhilaration of being away from it all. Night calls and we all converge outside of a hotel where people are throwing beads for “favors”. At the peak of my high, I'm examining women and getting as many beads as possible from anyone at the balcony. The crowd is ripe with craziness and I take/make as many photo “ops” as I can (so many, in fact, that I don't remember taking about a ¼ of them). The beads continue to flow after teaming up with the hot girl in the plaid skirt (fantasy_fest_2005_146.jpg). I eventually lose my glasses in all the craziness and run back to the house where George saves my ass again; letting me borrow his eyeglasses that have ½ the strength of my normal prescription. Alcohol and visually impaired, I head back to the fray, joining others in the costume contest. One thing leads to another and I'm invited to the Garden of Eden (clothing optional bar). From there, many debaucheries happen…but that's a secret between me and the blond from Philly.

Sunday – Day of Zen – In life, there should be balance. Key West should be no exception. So, I decided to stroll down to the Key West butterfly museum. There, I got some amazing shots of birds, butterflies, and everything tropical. Luckily, hurricane Wilma only did minor damage (some panes of glass we broken but kept shape) and we were able to relax and enjoy the surroundings. The rest of the day was filled with shopping, an incredible nap, and lots of great food…not to mention an excellent band at Sloppy Joe's – “vs. the earth” .

Monday – Pirates and going out with a bang! – Our day started out with breakfast at the Blue Heaven restaurant. There's nothing like feeding scrambled eggs to the chickens pecking around near your feet. As the day progressed, George found out about a new pirate museum. It was filled with some great interactive info on BlackBeard, Morgan, and the rest of the roughest pirates out there. Here's an interesting fact: did you know that Captain Morgan died of alcohol abuse? Gee…I wonder why the biggest sponsor of Fantasy Fest is Captain Morgan spiced rum. After the museum, shopping, and eating, we headed down Duval once again. George found his favorite place – Irish Kevins. I went exploring and took some more shots. After darkness fell, I was “chatting it up” with a flight attendant in a very hot outfit – all of a sudden…bang – no electricity! It tuned out there was an electrical problem and most of the Florida Keys were without power. And, to make matters worse, it was starting to rain. I was honestly wondering when the next plague of locusts will happen…ugh! But just then, one building off in the distance had power. Yep, you guessed it – Irish Kevins! So I rushed in with her and her friends, got some drinks, and had a killer time in the bar. So did George – he had five Guiness beers ;)