Hemingway look-alikes state "Running of the Bulls" spoof in Key West
KEY WEST — Ernest Hemingway look-alikes proved their link to the author is "no bull" during Saturday's "Running of the Bulls" in Key West, a wacky (and much safer) take-off on the annual run held in Pamplona, Spain.
The event was a highlight of Key West's Hemingway Days celebration, honoring the legendary American author who lived and wrote on the island during the 1930s. The 2024 festival also commemorates the 125th anniversary of Ernest's birth.
The bull run featured scores of past winners and current competitors in the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, who paraded through Key West's historic downtown with life-size replica bulls on wheels.
Ernest Hemingway famously participated in Pamplona's bull run, and chronicled bullfighting's history and traditions in his book "Death in the Afternoon."
The Key West event was headquartered outside Sloppy Joe's Bar, frequented by Hemingway during his Key West years, with a route proceeding along part of the island's renowned Duval Street.
Saturday night, finalists chosen from 122 entrants will vie for the title of "Papa" in the final round of Sloppy Joe's annual look-alike contest.
Hemingway Days continues through Sunday, July 21, the author's 125th birthday. Festival events include a Sunday "birthday bash" at Sloppy Joe's and the Key West Marlin Tournament that recalls Hemingway's passion for Florida Keys fishing.