Tutu Pre Parade

October 22, 2019

 

Beach, Chris and Liz

Lisa and Kathy

with Smokey

Tutu Pre Parade

Tuesday of Fantasy Fest week in Key West is when I think the week of events really hits its stride. I love the vibe of the early part of the week as many of those tourists who show up just for the main weekend have not yet arrived and locals, many who will be busy working in the service industry later in the week to accommodate all those tourists have a chance to get out and enjoy some Fantasy Fest fun.

Jenn

Q-Mitch

 

Liz

That is why I thought that the creation of Tutu Tuesday some 11 years ago was a stroke of genius and it has now wholly encompassed the island community, become an official part of Fantasy Fest and grown by leaps and bounds where almost everyone, even if they are attending something other than the Tutu party itself seems to be wearing a tutu. Even some of the local mail carriers can be seen delivering their routes wearing tutus.

 

I started out my Tutu Tuesday by attending the annual Beach Bash at the Southernmost Café at South Beach. This is a fun beach party that features entertainment by one of the most popular live bands in Key West, Patrick and the Swayzes.  This band is a high energy jolt of fun and while they do not play as often here in their homw base as they once did, they return during Fantasy Fest each year to provide a rockin soundtrack to any number of Fantasy Fest parties.

 

Les Greene is one of the most fun and dynamic performers you will ever see and the band is solid and tight as they play a mix of originals and surf covers, 60s standards and more. I must have seen them play 100 times and it still never gets old and the crowds during Fantasy Fest really respond, making them a highly sought after band for numerous parties and the perfect choice for the Beach Bash.

Les 

Liam

Tutu Tuesday is dominated by the ubiquitous tutu, a truly underappreciated clothing option and thousands of people donning the tutu is truly a sight to behold. The official Tutu festivities begin in the early evening in what has become a wonderful annual addition to the Tutu party, the Tutu Pre-parade. In the beginning of Tutu madness there was a sort of disorganized march from the old Porch bar to the location of the Tutus for those pre-gaming the party, and that tradition was made official a few years ago.

Bethany, Jeremy and Kathy

 

Beau

This year the official organized march started as you might expect at the wonderful new addition to the Key West bar scene, 2-2 and Company. Located next to Side Bar behind the Aqua nightclub, the bar celebrates the Tutu year round and is the perfect starting location for the more than 300 people who purchased a special pass that includes both the parade and entrance to the official tutu party at General Horseplay.

James and Carol

More of a bar stroll than a true parade, the mass marches from 2-2 to MaryEllen’s Bar, then to First Flight, then to the Tiki Hut, Shots and Giggles before making its way to the official party. Free drinks at each location for those participating, the crowd becomes basically a moving party as they move towards the final destination.  The crowd swells as people who are not official participants join in or just gather to witness the mayhem and a police escort keeps everyone safe and moving along the route. It takes about ninety minutes and is a fun way to kick things off. While it used to be almost exclusively locals participating, now it is mostly visitors, fun and well informed visitors but I still miss some of my favorite locals.

 

Arrival at General Horseplay where the official Tutu party was held for the second straight year, basically having outgrown every previous location, was the end of the line for the pre-paraders, but really just the start of what is always one of the best parties in Key West annually and one of the highlights of Fantasy Fest week.

https://www.patrickandtheswayzees.com/