Hemingway Days

Event Dates 7/23-7/27

Fans of Ernest Hemingway’s literary greatness and vigorous life, including scores of bearded Hemingway look-alikes, are to converge on Key West for Hemingway Days 2025. The annual celebration salutes the Nobel Prize–winning author’s writing achievements, sporting pursuits and enjoyment of the island’s easygoing lifestyle. The festival’s undisputed highlight is the Hemingway® Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, 201 Duval St., a frequent hangout for the writer during his 1930s residence in Key West. Scores of stocky, bearded entrants are to parade across Sloppy Joe’s stage before a judging panel of previous winners during preliminary and final rounds July 26.  Learn More