New Years Eve Key West 2025
The Shoe Drop!

Drag Queen in a Shoe? It has to be a Gay New Years Eve in Key West 2025

Since 1996, the centerpiece of the city’s celebration of New Year’s is when the city’s most glamorous drag queen, descends from a giant high-heel shoe. She is lowered from a balcony of the gay bar, the Bourbon Street Pub, to the cheering crowed on Duval Street below.

• Stay at the H2O Suites- Adults Only, 200 m from Duval Street rated “Superb” by guests and featuring a year-round outdoor rooftop pool with a sun terrace. 

The Shoe Drop

• Next Edition: Wednesday 31st December, 2024 – Festivities begin from 10 pm.
• The Key West Red High Heel Shoe Drop is an honored tradition held on New Year’s Eve. Located in front of the Bourbon St. Pub on Duval Street, Key West’s most glamorous Drag Queen, descends from the top of the New Orleans House in her big red pump at the stroke of midnight to ring in the New Year.
• You’ll have older gay men next to a family with kids, next to guys in leather, next to a bunch of rowdy bachelorettes. “Everybody’s welcome.”
• The event brings in Tens of Thousands of people each year and even receives national attention as CNN has been in attendance with Anderson Cooper covering the event. It’s one of the best destinations to celebrate the New Year because the weather is perfect and the atmosphere is wild, fun and free! Would you expect anything less from Key West?
• Check out the top hotels closest to Duval Street.

The Schedule

• The street in front of Bourbon Street Pub is closed to traffic to accommodate the crowds. While they wait for Marion as Sushi, a live musical dance and impersonation show is performed on a stage in front of the bar.
• Stay at the H20 Suites, an adults only resort rated “Superb” by guests. Book a room with your own private pool for a special New Year treat!
• At 11 o’clock, the drag queen arrives, and they lower the shoe and put her in it, then raise her up. Over the next hour, she is lowered 20 feet down inside the fire-engine red shoe made of fiberglass and stainless steel.
• The shoe is a size 8 feet, with a 4-foot-high heel.

Gay Key West

• Most of the gay bars in town are clustered along colourful Duval Street.
• Check out our gay guide to Key West for the best places to stay and play during your NYE escape.

Food & Drink

• Blue Heaven – Enjoy breakfast amidst roaming roosters in this laid-back spot.
• 915 Bistro & Wine Bar – Offers tapas-style dining perfect for sharing with new friends.
• Aqua Nightclub – Not only a place for drinks but also for some of the best drag shows in town.

Beach Time

• Higgs Beach – Known for its LGBTQ+ friendly vibe, volleyball, and watersports.
• Smathers Beach – The largest public beach in Key West, perfect for sunbathing and socializing.

Nightlife

• Bobby’s Monkey Bar – A low-key local bar with a pool table and karaoke nights.
• The Bourbon St. Pub – Offers a lively atmosphere with go-go boys and nightly entertainment.

Recommended Hotels in Key West

Here are the hotels we recommend that have good reviews and keep you close to all the action

Duval Gardens,    Truman Hotel,    The Gardens Hotel,    Paradise Inn