Event Dates
From: Sunday, December 31, 2023
To: Sunday, December 31, 2023
Celebrate a Gay New Years Eve Key West style at the Shoe Drop, the official countdown to the new year on Bourbon Street!
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
- 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.
- 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.
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
Where to stay close to all the gay bars
Our top 4 selections with the best rates.
The Paradise Inn is our favourite place
to stay when in Key West. Great location
For further information and advice on
NYE Key West, visit The Website
Most of the gay bars in town are clustered along colorful Duval Street, in the historic district, which is also home to dozens of fun shops and inviting restaurants.
Book with confidence. Get the best Prices from our partner Booking.com
We have chosen hotels in Key West that keep you close to all the shops, restaurants, bars & fun
this adult-only hotel offers two outdoor pools. Duval Street is a 1-minute walk away, and Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory is 3 minutes’ drive from the hotel. A private balcony or patio with property views is provided in all rooms at The Gardens Hotel Key West. A flat-screen cable TV, ironing facilities, and a refrigerator
Paradise Inn – Adult Exclusive is located in Key West and features landscaped grounds with brick paths and a lotus pond with koi and tropical turtles. A complimentary continental breakfast is served in the lobby. The suites at Paradise Inn – Adult Exclusive include a sitting area with cable TV. A microwave, refrigerator, and coffee facilities
Located just 2 minutes’ walk from the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, this adult-only inn features free parking and a shared outdoor swimming pool. Free Wi-Fi is also available. A microwave, refrigerator and coffee-making facilities come standard in each room
This trendy Key West boutique hotel features an outdoor pool and modern rooms equipped with iPod docking stations and flat-screen TVs. All rooms at the Truman Hotel are equipped with a refrigerator. Each room is styled with wood floors, and bathrooms boast tiled showers and marble vanities.
Highlights of the Key West New Years Eve Shoe Drop!