Limelight Shines on Key Lime Pies in Quirky ‘Drop’
KEY WEST, Fla. (July 7, 2025) — Key Lime pies can’t fly. That was amply demonstrated Sunday, July 6, during the Key Lime Pie Drop that highlighted the final day of Key West’s annual Key Lime Festival.
Entrants in the quirky competition were required to launch miniature Key lime pies —encased in protective contraptions they made in advance — from atop the Key West Lighthouse.
Their goal? To land an undamaged pie on a ground-level target beside the light, now open for tours as the historic Key West Lighthouse & Keeper’s Quarters.
More than two dozen individual and team contestants climbed the 88 steps to the top of the lighthouse tower to compete. Their pies were enclosed in creations that featured pool noodles, smiley-face balloons, stuffed animals, makeshift parachutes, bubble wrap and — for one memorable entry — a 35-inch plush goose dressed in a cape and shades.
Most proved to be aerially unsound, resulting in mishaps that ranged from off-course landings to crashed contraptions and complete pie annihilation.
Though few pies survived the gravity-defying drop, an entry dubbed “A Pie in Plain Sight” crafted from a plastic tub, tissue paper, plastic bags and ribbon sailed sweetly toward the target and landed with its pie mostly intact — earning the contest’s first prize.
Staged July 2-6, the Key Lime Festival salutes the tiny yellow limes and the pie made from them. Believed to have been born in Key West, the tart yet creamy confection was designated Florida's official pie in 2006 by the state legislature.
Other events included the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, themed dinners, parties and markets, and tasting strolls for fans of Key lime cocktails and pie.
The 2025 festival was presented in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and We’ve Got the Keys.
High-resolution images, captions and photo credits are available at this link.
###
Left to right, Alex Stocks, 6, Bear Moynihan, 12, and Lucas Stocks, 16, all of Stuart, Fla., along with event M.C. Landon Bradbary, right, watch as their pie drop entry, “Make,” takes flight during the July 6, 2025 Key Lime Pie Drop in Key West, Fla. An annual Key Lime Festival event, the gravity-defying competition challengesparticipants to advance-create a device to protect a 5” pie and keep it from splattering on impact when dropped from the observation deck of the historic Key West Lighthouse to a targeted area 88-feet below. Despite creative use of balloons, Styrofoam, bubble wrap and a box, the team’s contraption did not save the pie. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Judges and announcers for the July 6, 2025 Key Lime Pie Drop in Key West, Fla., clockwise from left, Janice Wish, Judd Wise, Chaze Cervantes, and Kade Mortenson, prepare to inspect the internal contents of a 35-inch plush goose moments after its dramatic 88-foot plunge from the observation deck of the historic Key West Lighthouse. The whimsical entry, named “Silly Goose on the Loose,” was among more than two dozen creative entries in the annual Key Lime Festival competition that calls for participants to advance-engineer a device or container to protect a 5” pie and keep it from destruction when dropped from the observation deck of the historic lighthouse to a targeted area on the ground below. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Left to right, Kim Stamps of Key West, Fla., and event M.C. Landon Barbary, watch as Stamps’ entry, “A Pie in Plain Sight,” hurls into space from the observation deck of the historic Key West Lighthouse during the July 6, 2025 Key Lime Pie Drop in Key West, Fla. An annual Key Lime Festival event, the gravity-defying competition challenges participants to advance-create a device or container to protect a 5” pie and keep it from splattering on impact when dropped from the observation deck of the historic Key West Lighthouse to a targeted area 88-feet below. Stamps and business partner Yvonne Jefferson own Tart Tales - Key LimePie Walking Tours. They crafted their first-prize-winning entry using a plastic tub, tissue paper, plastic bags and ribbon. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Officials for the July 6, 2025 Key Lime Pie Drop in Key West, Fla., clockwise from left, Aramis Ikatu, Judd Wise, Kade Mortenson and Janice Wish gather to inspect the contents of the entry titled, “A Pie in Plain Sight” following its plunge from the observation deck of the historic Key West Lighthouse. A quirky highlight of the annual Key Lime Festival, the competition challenges participants to advance-create a device or container capable of protecting a 5” pie from a high-altitude drop. Packed with tissue paper, plastic bags, ribbon and nestled in a plastic tub, “A Pie in Plain Sight” took first-prize for landing intact and closest to the targeted bullseye. (Photo: Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
ABOUT THE FLORIDA KEYS & KEY WEST
The Florida Keys & Key West is a premier getaway destination located at the southernmost tip of Florida and the continental United States. The Keys stretch over 125 miles connected by 42 bridges and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf. Discover the spectacular array of diverse activities offered in the Florida Keys like fishing, diving, natural wonders, fine dining and cultural heritage. From large resorts, secluded waterfront hideaways and courtyard guest houses, visitors can uncover the perfect place for their vacation. Restoration, renovation and preservation have become a way of life in the Florida Keys. Whether you’re driving or flying into the Keys, one thing is for sure: there’s simply no place quite like it. Want more reasons to visit The Florida Keys & Key West? Get inspired at visitfloridakeys.com and follow us @thefloridakeys on social media.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Mary B. Haban
Senior Director of Public Relations
Visit Florida Keys & Key West
(305) 394-3142
Visit Florida Keys & Key West PR Agency Team (TURNER)