Key West’s “Running of the Bulls” Brings Out Boxers, Beards, and Berets
FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY July 26, 2025
Contacts: Mary B. Haban, Mary@fla-keys.com (813) 210-8585
Chad Newman, Chad@fla-keys.com (310) 283-8441
Story: Key West’s “Running of the Bulls” Brings Out Boxers, Beards, and Berets
Locator: Key West, Fla.
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B-roll and photos of the 44th Annual Running of the Bulls in Key West, Fla. during Hemingway Days on July 26, 2025.
TRT: 2:00
Filename: KeyWestBulls.mp4
Video source: Florida Keys News Bureau
Photos & Captions: Below
Key West, Fla. – This is one story when being “full of bull” — isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, in Key West, Florida Saturday afternoon, it was celebrated, decorated, and well…downright fun!
Bulls, Berets and Boxing took center stage as hundreds of stocky, bearded and very boisterous men, chanted their way down the Southernmost city’s famed Duval Street. It was all part of the 44th Annual Running of the Bulls…an event which honors the life and iconic style of legendary author Ernest Hemingway.
A sea of brotherhood donned crisp white shirts, slacks and red berets as they sauntered around the block just outside one of Hemingway’s favorite hangouts, Sloppy Joe’s Bar.
Five mock bulls took part in the event, slowly following the crowd to mimic the real life running of the bull’s event in Pamplona, Spain.
This parody was just one of the many highlights of Key West's Hemingway Days festival, a salute to the famous American author who lived and wrote some of his most well-known works on the island during the 1930s. But all eyes will be on Saturday night’s Hemingway Look-Alike Contest as two dozen finalists chosen from 131 hopefuls compete for the coveted title of “Papa” in the final round of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. Hemingway Days coincides with the 126th anniversary of the author’s July 21 birth. The festival runs through Sunday.
Ernest Hemingway wrote some of his most enduring classics while living in Key West including “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not.”
To learn more about this weeklong tribute to Hemingway, visit HemingwayDays.com.
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On your mark! Hundreds of Hemingway Look-Alikes pack Duval Street in Key West, Florida, on Saturday, July 26, 2025, for the city’s 44th Annual Running of the Bulls. The event, a spoof on the real running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, pays homage to legendary author Ernest Hemingway, who ran with the real bulls in Spain. Ownby has joined in the fun of the Hemingway Days Festival for the past 10 years and is a semi-finalist in the final round of the Hemingway Look-Alike contest. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Jeff Ownby of Green Cove Springs, Florida, leads hundreds of Hemingway look-alikes and fans in the 44th Annual Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Key West. Ownby has taken part in the festivities for the past 10 years and is one of the semi-finalists in the final round of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Six-year-old Keefer Haynie of Baton Rouge, La., joins Chris Dutton of Tampa, Fla., for the 44th Annual Running of the Bulls event in Key West, Florida. The lively event, part of the Hemingway Days Festival, honors the life and iconic spirit of legendary author, Ernest Hemingway, who wrote some of his most iconic works while living in Key West. Both will compete in the semifinals for the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest which takes place Saturday night, July 26, 2025. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Christopher Merchant of Stow, Ohio (left), and Gary Mull of Sun City Center, Florida (right), strike a boxing pose Saturday, July 26, 2025, during the Running of the Bulls event in Key West. Dressed to honor Ernest Hemingway’s love of boxing, the duo are four-time competitors in the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest and have advanced to the semifinals of the 44th edition at Sloppy Joe’s Bar. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Participants parade down Duval Street during the 44th Annual Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Key West, Florida. The lighthearted event is part of the Hemingway Days Festival, which honors the life and spirited legacy of Ernest Hemingway and his time on the island. The festival continues through Sunday, with the finals of the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest set for Saturday night at Sloppy Joe’s Bar. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).