The Bulls Are Back in Town: Hemingway Look-Alikes Take Key West
FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY July 25, 2026
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Story: The Bulls Are Back in Town: Hemingway Look-Alikes Take Key West
Locator: Key West, Fla.
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Video: B-roll of past Hemingway Look-Alike Contest winners and contestants taking part in the 45th Annual 'Running' of the Bulls outside Sloppy Joe's Bar and through Old Town in Key West, Fla., Saturday, July 25, 2026. Visuals include participants in traditional white clothing and red berets or bandanas, wooden sawhorse bulls on wheels, the procession through the streets and crowd reaction.
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TRT: 1:47
Filename: KeyWestBulls.mp4
Audio: Nat. Sound - Stereo Mix
Credit: Florida Keys News Bureau (Screen credit appreciated, not mandatory)
NOTE TO EDITORS/PRODUCERS: The final round of Sloppy Joe's 45th Annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25. Twenty-four finalists selected during two preliminary rounds are competing for the title of "Papa 2026." Separate Florida Keys News Bureau coverage of the winner is planned for distribution Sunday morning.
The Bulls Are Back in Town: Hemingway Look-Alikes Take Key West
KEY WEST, Fla. (July 25, 2026) — Beards, berets and wooden bulls rolled through Old Town Key West Saturday afternoon during the 45th Annual 'Running' of the Bulls event...one of Hemingway Days' most recognizable traditions.
Calling it a “run” may be a bit of a stretch. While the ‘Papas’, as Hemingway was often called, sauntered down the one block route, the crowd erupted in cheers just like it was the real deal in Pamplona, Spain.
Dressed in crisp, white clothing with bright, red berets and bandanas, past winners of the Hemingway Look Alike Contest joined hundreds of "Papas," for the signature stroll down some of Key West’s most famous streets. They set out from Greene Street, just outside Sloppy Joe's Bar, crossed Duval Street, looped through Old Town and returned to the bar where Hemingway often hung out.
Five bulls joined in on the makeshift run adding a bit of levity to the day. Wooden sawhorse replicas mounted on wheels and built for considerably less danger than their Spanish counterparts.
The procession spoofs the famed “running of the bulls” in Pamplona, Spain, and is a notable nod to Hemingway's fascination with Spain and its bullfighting traditions. The Key West version borrows the white clothes and red accents but leaves the live animals back in Spain.
While the afternoon belonged to the bulls, Saturday night belonged to the beards.
Twenty-four finalists selected during preliminary rounds Thursday and Friday are competing at 6:30 p.m. in the final round of Sloppy Joe's 45th Annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. Past winners will narrow the field to five before one contestant is crowned "Papa 2026."
The six-day Hemingway Days, which marks the 127th anniversary of Hemingway’s July 21st birthday, continues through Sunday with several signature events. Highlights include the Papa Birthday Bash at Sloppy Joe's, Museum Day featuring the Hemingway Collection at the Custom House, and the "Papa's Tales" Storytelling Competition at the Hemingway Social Club.
To learn more, visit KeyWestLookAlikes.com.
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Scores of Ernest Hemingway look-alikes sporting red berets and neckerchiefs “stampede” past Sloppy Joe's Bar with a contingent of faux bulls the 45th annual Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Key West, Fla. The playful homage to Pamplona's famed bull run is a signature event of Hemingway Days, celebrating the Nobel Prize-winning author whose frequent Key West watering hole attracted generations of admirers after he made the island his home through much of the 1930s. (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Calling it a run may be a stretch. A crowd of Hemingway look-alikes and scores of fans fill Duval Street just outside Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Saturday, July 25, 2026, during the 45th Annual ‘Running’ of the Bulls in Key West, Fla. Dressed in white with red berets and bandanas, the would-be “Papas” joined the lighthearted procession as spectators lined the route and cheered them on. (Terry Martin/Florida Keys News Bureau)
A Honk to Hemingway! David “Bat” Masterson of Daytona Beach, Fla., the 2024 winner of the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, blows a conch shell while riding a faux bull just outside of Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Duval Street during the 45th annual Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Key West, Fla. Inspired by Hemingway’s own experiences with the famed bull run in Pamplona, Spain, and the scenes he brought to life in famous novels like “The Sun Also Rises,” the island’s signature send-up is a popular part of the annual Hemingway Days festival honoring the Nobel Prize-winning author, whose Key West years remain central to his literary legacy. (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Sporting red berets and neckerchiefs James “Iceman” Teele, of Melbourne, Fla., leads a sea of Ernest Hemingway look-alikes from atop a faux bull through downtown Key West during the 45th Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Key West, Fla. Inspired by Hemingway’s own experiences with the famed bull run in Pamplona, Spain, and the scenes he brought to life in novels like “The Sun Also Rises,” the island’s riotous send-up is a signature event of the annual Hemingway Days festival honoring the Nobel Prize-winning author, whose Key West years remain central to his literary legacy. (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Hemingway Look Alike finalists carry more than banners and flags during the 45th annual Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Key West, Fla. They carry on a tradition inspired by Hemingway’s own experiences with the famed bull run in Pamplona, Spain, and the scenes he brought to life in his novel “The Sun Also Rises.” The island’s signature event is part of the annual Hemingway Days festival honoring the Nobel Prize-winning author, whose Key West years remain central to his literary legacy. (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Lyra Bolling, 5, and her real life ‘papa’, Michael Bolling, of Weston, Fla., strike a pose with faux bulls and a pack of “Papa’s” during the 45th annual Running of the Bulls event on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Key West, Fla. The playful homage to Pamplona's famed bull run is a signature event of the six-day Hemingway Days festival, which celebrates Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel Prize-winning author who made the island of Key West his home through much of the 1930s. (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau)