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Key West, FL -
Avast, me Hearties! It's time to chart yer course for the Isle of Bones...Cayo Hueso as Key West and the Conch Republic welcome the 10th Annual Pirates in Paradise Festival. Pack up yer cutlass, don yer garb, grab yer mate and join us for a full week of mischief and merrymaking that features a host of swashbuckling events for buccaneers and wenches of all ages!
Top-name quality entertainment and historic re-enactors, improvisational actors, and combative stunt men from around the country (including Cascabel, whose portrait by Don Maitz is the artwork for our Festival program cover) are set to invade the island and join Key West's own pirate crew, the Bone Island Buccaneers for a host of pure piratical escapades. As you stroll the streets of Old Town's colorful seaport taverns and pirate pubs such as Schooner Wharf Bar, Pat Croce's Rum Barrel at Pirate Soul and the Green Parrott or visit Fort Zachary Taylor's Pyrate Fest and Village Market, don't be surprised if you run into the likes of Anne Bonny, Bawdy Be, Braze, Cascabel, Sir Henry Morgan, The Pyrates of the Coast and other nefarious Brethren of the Coast.
Each day the public can join Captain Finbar and his scurvy crew of pirates aboard the Schooner WOLF for Tall Ship Sails and Pirate Attacks. Docked at the Historic Seaport, the WOLF, Flagship of the Conch Republic will be offering afternoon and sunset sails.
The community of Key West will once again gather on November 30th to celebrate the Official End of America's Hurricane Season Party at the USS MOHAWK CGC (WPG-78) Memorial Museum's Truman Annex Pier. Festivities include a special ceremony featuring NOAA's weather forecaster Matt Strahan and his weather crew who will ceremonially burn the Hurricane Flags, signifying the end of this year's Hurricane Season.
Aspiring writers and artists wishing to get their inspiration from the sea, can join Captain Finbar aboard the WOLF for the Festival's annual Artists', Historians' and Authors' Sail and the Literature & the Sea Caribbean Pirate's Buffet hosted by El Meson de Pepe on Mallory Square (both these events will feature participating artists, historians and literary luminaries include Janny Wurts, Sandra Riley, John Viele, Don Maitz, Carol Shaughnessy, and "Queen of Swing" Norma Miller -- who will be celebrating her 90th B-day during the festival. Or test your brevado as you compete in the 5th annual Pyrates of the Coast Walk the Plank National Championships held aboard the WOLF at the Historic Seaport. Spectators can cheer on their favorite pirate dockside!
Once again Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park & Beach will be the location for the Festival's Pyrate Fest, Village Thieves' Market and Pirate Pub, Dec. 4-6. The Fort Taylor Pyrate Fest which is set inside the historic fort and along the beach, with its authentic period encampments, historic re-enactors and colorful pirates, lets you have the chance to live a pirate's life!
Pirates will be repelling invaders along the ramparts while vendors sell wares in the makeshift town. Occasional fights are bound to break out as braggarts solve their disagreements with swords and daggers in true piratical style; and various pirate entertainers add to the festive nature that fills the township. The historic reenactment of the Pyrate Tryal of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, based on the original transcripts of the trial, as found in Tamara Eastman's book, will be held on Saturday morning inside the fort at 11 a.m.
One of the highlights of this year's festival will be the Pirate Tavern in the fort itself, which will be open afternoon/evening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3-6. There, you'll hear tall tales and spirited chanteys while downing a pounder of ale or some sweet honey mead. It'll seem so real to you that you'll be sure you've been transported back some 350 years to the time when pirates ruled the Caribbean.
This year our own Conch Republic Navy USO Girl - and one of the stars of the Pyrate Tryal of Anne Bonny! - 'Queen of Swing' Norma Miller turns 90. This is her 10th year of returning to Key West to celebrate her birthday with the pirates and this year Norma is bringing along Lou Ragland's World Famous INK SPOTS to help celebrate! Norma and the INK SPOTS will be making guest appearances at many of our special events and on Monday, December 7 they invite you to join them at the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center for a Show and Concert.
For festival highlights and a schedule of events click here. 
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