Editor’s Note: T-minus 9 days until the 2026 Fantasy Fest parade on Saturday, Oct. 24. Join the Keys Weekly each week for exclusive Fantasy Fest features highlighting the people and projects behind the island’s biggest annual party.
In the Bahamas,Goombay refers first to music — Calypso-related and traditionally played on goat-skin drums — and second to the lively summer Goombay celebrations held each year. These festivals take over entire islands with Junkanoo dancers, stilt-walkers and more food than any human could consume. As Bahamian settlers began migrating to Key West in the early 19th century, so, too, did the party.
The Bahamian settlers helped shape Key West’s economy and appearance, salvaging ships that wrecked on the reef and building wooden homes that redefined the island’s architecture. But it wasn’t all work, and the Bahamian settlers knew how to let loose, weaving their musical and visual traditions into the already-colorful palette of Key West. It’s only fitting that Key West, with its rich Bahamian heritage, and its love of music and festivals, has thrown its own version of a Goombay party every October for nearly five decades.
The Key West version began as a one-block party in 1977, a few years before the first Fantasy Fest in 1979, celebrating the culture that helped build Key West. Organized by local community leaders like Roosevelt Sands, Charles Major Sr. and Fred Scholl, the first iteration was so successful that the Bahamian prime minister came over to join the festivities. As Fantasy Fest emerged as an October event, the two local celebrations evolved together into multi-day events, while maintaining their individual identities.
Today, Goombay serves as the kickoff to Fantasy Fest week, opening this year on Friday, Oct. 16 along Petronia Street in the Bahama Village neighborhood, with the main music stage located at Petronia and Emma streets. The day features live music from noon to 11 p.m., with the Junkanoo parade, a cherished Goombay tradition, stepping off at 6:15 p.m. Featuring towering stilt-wakers, drummers, dancers and vibrant costumes, the parade retains historical elements originally brought to The Bahamas by enslaved Africans.
After the parade, visitors will need sustenance. Thankfully, Goombay hosts over 100 open-air vendors offering authentic Bahamian and Caribbean dishes like conch fritters, cracked conch, peas and rice, jerk chicken, fried fish and a dangerously delicious Goombay punch. Most vendors accept credit cards and mobile payments, but savvy festival attendees suggest carrying a little cash to move through the lines as quickly as possible. After dinner, there are still several hours to wander through the muli-block vendors area. Scattered throughout the food stalls, other sellers will be offering a variety of crafts, jewelry and other items to peruse and purchase. Beyond the vendors, reggae, hip hop, and DJ sets will keep the beat flowing, while carnival rides and games will keep kids and fun-loving adults thoroughly entertained.
Of course, if one night of gastronomical delights, great music, community pride and colorful spectacle isn’t enough, visitors can always come back for a second full day of festivities on Saturday, Oct. 17. Pro tip: just don’t have too much fun. Fantasy Fest continues for the next nine days. Pace yourself.
