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Celebrating New Years Eve in Key West, FL (2024)

Celebrating New Years Eve in Key West, FL (2024)

It’s hard to believe 2024 is nearly gone, and it’s already time to ring in the New Year! If you’re lucky enough to be celebrating NYE in the Florida Keys, the weather promises to be excellent.

There are several popular venues around the island offering unique ways to celebrate the New Year “Key West” Style. The most popular events draw large crowds, so plan to arrive early to find your spot, and don’t forget to book your vacation rental in advance!

Here are a few favorites and some information on how to catch these great happenings on the last night of 2024.

 

1. The Conch Shell Drop at Sloppy Joe’s Bar

Pay a visit to iconic Sloppy Joe’s on New Years

This event is in its 31st year, and it’s guaranteed to be a night to remember. The show takes place on top of Sloppy Joe’s Bar, where a giant conch shell is lowered from the flat roof (like the Times Square ball drop but Florida-style.)

Patrons inside the bar can watch the dropping of the conch shell on the ‘Sloppy-Tron’ screens, but the best viewing spot is on the street at the intersection of Duval & Greene Streets.

 

2. Red Shoe Drop

Sushi Drops in Her Giant Red Pump
Sushi Drops in Her Giant Red Pump as the Clock Strikes Midnight and a New Year Begins.

Thousands gather each year to see a sparkly red high-heeled shoe be lowered from Bourbon Street Pub in what is, without a doubt, the most fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration in town.

Drag queen Sushi, otherwise known as Gary Marion, has stepped aside in recent years, and renowned drag artist Randy Roberts will be inside the shoe as it’s lowered in 2024. Expect a dazzling evening of live music from Roberts, as well as street performances and live entertainment aplenty outside the front of Bourbon St. Pub.

 

3. Lowering of the Pirate Wench

This one-of-a-kind, world-famous bar is fondly called “a last little piece of paradise” and rings in the New Year with a little pirate flare. A few minutes before midnight at the Schooner Wharf Bar, a ‘wench’ will dramatically descend the 75 ft. mast of the Schooner Adirondack III against the backdrop of lighted countdown numbers before being lowered as the clock strikes midnight.

Overlooking Key West’s historic seaport, this is a delightfully mesmerizing nautical-themed alternative to the Duval Street bustle on the night of New Year’s Eve.

 

4. Schooner America 2.0

This three-hour boat adventure is an iconic way to welcome the new year in style. The ticket price includes an open bar and hors d’oeuvres all night, plus festive music to get you in the mood for champagne toasts at midnight. You’ll also get VIP access to the Schooner’s Wharf Pirate Wench Drop, which will round off your New Year’s Eve celebrations perfectly.

Tip: If you’re traveling with children over the new year and want to see the city from the water, opt for a family-friendly sunset cruise instead. The Schooner Sunset Sail is a great option as it takes you past Mallory Square and many of the other popular sites in Key West’s old town.

 

5. Reggae Lou and the Kind Budz

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/lazyllama

 

For a chilled end to 2024, head down to Sunset Pier at 5 pm to enjoy laid-back live reggae music as the sun sets for the final time in 2024. This event promises to be a fun-filled evening and is the perfect way to start your celebrations before the festivities really begin.

 

6. First Flight Island Restaurant & Bar

This ultra-cool restaurant is great to visit at any time of year, but their Great Gatsby-themed New Year’s event promises to be a blast. Come in your finest Gatsby-inspired attire to enjoy a four-hour open bar, champagne toasts, and a replica of an old Pan American plane that will take flight at midnight.

 

Dining Options for a Quieter New Year’s Eve Party

If none of these spectacles are your style this year, many popular Key West restaurants and clubs have tables available to reserve for a more low-key setting to celebrate. Here are a few suggestions for excellent restaurants that are on or close to Duval Street:

 

Nine One Five

Created by owner Stuart Kemp, this fine European-style tapas restaurant is a several-time winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for culinary excellence in New York. Located in a gorgeously renovated Victorian house with a minimalist elegant interior, this is a great place to ‘see-and-be-seen’ in the town.

The creative chef offers an eclectic variety of tapas and full fare of gourmet food as well as a fine wine selection to choose from. Everything is delicious — select a series of small plates and appetizers to share, or order a bowl of hearty fresh pasta to set you up perfectly for the evening.

There are dining options both inside and outside on the porches that overlook Upper Duval St. There’s also a great retro-design club room upstairs overlooking Duval St., known as ‘Point 5’, which can be rented for private events.

 

Louie’s Backyard and the Afterdeck Bar

Two of the best places on the island are at the same gorgeous waterfront location. Louie’s Backyard restaurant is housed in a perfectly renovated Greek Revival Victorian Key West home that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Executive Chef Doug Shook offers award-winning fine international and Caribbean cuisine with a specialty in locally caught fish. The Afterdeck is on the expansive ocean deck in the back yard with a rare view and intimate feel of the ocean. Sunset, moonrise, and star gazing experiences are unsurpassed making it the perfect spot to ring in the New Year.

 

La Trattoria

This fine Italian dining spot delivers wonderful food and an excellent atmosphere that feels like you’ve been transported to Italy. Everything is delicious, and there’s a great wine selection making it the perfect place for a special night out to celebrate.

The streetside dining room and bar with a great view of Duval Street are ideal to give you a front row seat to New Year’s Eve. And, it adjoins Virgilio’s bar in the back on Appelrouth Lane, a local’s favorite music venue where you shouldn’t miss the outstanding chocolate martinis.

 

Martin’s

For the morning after, we love Martin’s for a decadent gourmet Sunday brunch. The variety of choices on the menu for gourmet eggs benedict is impressive. They’re also well known for their Bellini cocktails, and they offer delicious German specialty dishes and fabulous French toast.

Martin’s has a very chic island-cosmopolitan flare both inside and outside, with a view of Duval St., plus intimate garden dining in the back. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

Get Ready for a Key West New Year to Remember!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com/Catherine_P

Now you have some of our favorite things to do in Key West to ring in the New Year. From wild events to classy dinners, you’re sure to have a great New Year’s Eve in Key West. For the cherry on top, be sure to book a fantastic place to stay with VHKW.

December 16, 2024
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