Scott Gerke thrives on providing an “experience” to Key West residents. It began several years ago with the success of his Key West Outdoor Movie series, and he recently embarked on another of his passions—a “Full Moon Experience” that combines music, entertainment and clean fun along the white sands of Higgs Beach.
His newest Full Moon Experience takes place Sunday, April 29 and will be hosted by the Key West Yoga and Wellness Fest, which Gerke believes will complement the spirit of his festival.
“It’s more of a family-friendly environment during this time,” said Gerke, whose full moon events run from October to June. “The event schedule is always changing as we grow, and they become more ‘adult-friendly’ after midnight.”
Gerke, an avid kiteboarder with a free-spirited demeanor to boot, will handle DJ duties this Sunday, with fire dancers, local musicians, the Key West Junkanoos and other incredible entertainment. The Weekly caught up with Gerke and gave him five questions to encapsulate his experience … in his own words.
Three Words to describe your Full Moon Experience? Celebration of us.
Why is this important for you and Key West? After the hurricane, I felt like it was a good time to really make this event come to fruition and create a way to bring people together and celebrate one another, as well as our culture. The two coined terms I use are “celebration of us” and “show up, show off”. Between the two, I think it really solidifies that this party is for us (us being a term used for both locals and visitors), to acknowledge one another, and give everyone a place to let loose.
Why do you call it an “experience” and not a party? When I think of party, I know what to expect … dancing and booze. When I created this event, I had envisioned a festival full of sensory experiences and community involvement. That’s why I immediately invested in very talented fire dancers and the Key West Junkanoos. It’s version one of my project.
What is your vision for this event in the future? What I am doing now is only the beginning to an idea that will showcase multitudes of performing artists, visual effects, and unique ways to give guests a community feel. I want people to get excited for this and create projects to show off at every event. Live art installations, colorful costumes, performances; I want to collaborate with people!
What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done under a full moon? Mmm, took a chance, spent lots of money, turned down other projects, and started hosting an event that I had no idea whether or not it would work.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase
$10 Full Moon cup is your ticket into the festival, and the cup you use to purchase drinks. Please bring cash.
Less trash = happy Mother Nature. Please keep coolers at home.
KWfullmoon.com
