New Year's Eve Red Shoe Drop
Key Westers pride themselves on always thinking outside the box.
When Joey Schroeder, owner of the LGBT favorite Bourbon St. Entertainment Complex, was brainstorming about a gay-themed event that would mirror the New Year’s Eve “ball drop” in New York’s Times Square, he came up with a fabulous idea. Joey decided to build an enormous, ruby-red high-heeled shoe and lower a drag queen in it (yes, an actual drag queen!) from the second-floor balcony of his Bourbon St. Pub/New Orleans House Complex at 724 Duval St. to welcome the new year.
And while Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” might not recognize the super-sized ruby slipper, she (and her little dog too) would surely be impressed by the one-of-a-kind celebration Joey created.
On New Year’s Eve 1997, Sushi, a beautiful young queen experienced in the art of “geisha drag,” climbed into the gigantic red high heel for the first time. Sushi presided over the New Year’s Eve festivities every year until 2024, when she retired from the shoe.
The tradition lives on, however, as each year a fabulous drag queen climbs over a balcony railing in a gorgeous gown and carefully settles herself in the eight-foot-long red high heel dangling some 15 feet above Duval Street, smiles and gives a “queen’s wave” to thousands of cheering New Year’s Eve revelers below.
While waiting for midnight, she offers witty commentary and presides over world-class entertainment on a street-level stage.
The evening leading up to the actual “drop” will include a stage full of beefy, chiseled male dancers, performances by colorful drag queens, and numbers by other stunningly talented entertainers.
Join us for this year’s joyous event — which has become so famous that excerpts have been broadcast worldwide on CNN. Street viewing of the lavish entertainment and the red shoe drop is free for all Key West visitors and residents.
For a VIP experience, check with New Orleans House to see if any tickets are still available to experience the celebration from the balcony of the popular complex, complete with libations and catered appetizers.
But no matter where you watch the fun, when you first spot that giant ruby slipper, chances are good that you — like Dorothy and Toto — will suddenly realize that Kansas is a very long way away.
