Key West High Heel Shoe Drop
New Year's Eve in Key West: instead of a ball, they lower a giant red high heel shoe — with a drag queen inside it — from the roof of a bar on Duval Street.
Since 1996, Key West has rung in the New Year by lowering a giant red high heel shoe from the roof of Sloppy Joe's Bar on Duval Street. Inside the shoe, in full drag regalia, is Sushi — the stage name of Gary Marion, who has performed the drop for most of its history. The shoe descends at midnight to a crowd of thousands. It is the most Key West thing that happens in Key West.
The shoe drop started as a local alternative to Times Square — something distinctly Key West, unapologetically queer, and impossible to replicate anywhere else. It has become one of the most photographed New Year's Eve events in the country.
Key West's New Year's Eve celebration runs the entire length of Duval Street and includes multiple countdowns — the shoe drop at Sloppy Joe's, a conch shell drop at the Schooner Wharf Bar, and a pirate wench drop at the Bourbon Street Pub. The city essentially shuts down for the night. Duval Street becomes a pedestrian corridor. The whole thing is chaotic, joyful, and completely sincere.
Sloppy Joe's Bar is at 201 Duval St, Key West. The shoe drop happens at midnight on December 31. Arrive by 10 PM to secure a good viewing position — the crowd is enormous. Hotels book out months in advance for New Year's Eve in Key West. The Schooner Wharf conch shell drop at the Historic Seaport is a less crowded alternative.