Happening Throughout the Event:
Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition started in 1981 and has awarded over $70,000 to writers of merit. More information may be found at www.shortstorycompetition.com.
Daily Tours of the Hemingway Home & Museum at 907 Whitehead Street. Visit https://www.hemingwayhome.com for more information.
July 23-26, 2025, the Key West Marlin Tournament, offering cash prizes for top catches of marlin and other fish, attracts up to 75 registered boats and their crews. The tournament, held Wednesday through Saturday during the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, is a world-class fishing event hosted at the Perry Hotel and Marina in the Lower Keys. More information is available at www.keywestmarlin.com.
Saturday, July 26, 7:30 pm: Hemingway 5K Sunset Run (5K Sunset Race by Key West Half Marathon).
Schedule:
10 am to 10 pm: (Duval Street closure ) Caribbean Street Fair to benefit Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) Monroe County, Inc. Key West’s annual Hemingway Birthday Celebration provides an excellent opportunity for Florida’s artisans and food vendors to display and sell their works during the one-day Caribbean Street Fair on world-renowned Duval Street. If you are interested in being a vendor, download the vendor application.
Noon: Photos with “Papas.” Hemingway® Look-Alikes, Wannabes, and Bulls provide a photo opportunity for fans. Greene Street outside Sloppy Joe’s.
HLAS will sell red berets and red bandanas (limited quantities) beginning at 12 Noon on Saturdays. Those wishing to wear traditional white clothing with a red sash need to be prepared and bring their own clothing (these items are not sold).
1:00 pm: Annual ‘Running’ of the Bulls. This wacky event, sponsored by Sloppy Joe’s Bar, features past “Papa” Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest winners dressed in their Pamplona best and a breed of “bull” found only in Key West. The fun takes place on Greene Street outside Sloppy Joe’s.
5:30 pm: Finalist Contestants must check in at the registration table at Sloppy Joe’s.
6:30 pm: Sloppy Joe’s 44th Annual Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest – FINAL ROUND with the ‘crowning’ of Papa 2025. (Live Auction benefiting the HLAS Scholarship Fund immediately following the final round while awaiting results. View Contest Results
