What Time Is Sunset in Key West Tonight?

Key West · Mallory Square

Sunset tonight

between 5:39 and 8:21 PM

Pick a date below for the exact time

My trip:

Celebration starts – vendors & performers roll in

Get there by – for a seawall spot

Golden hour – photos peak here

Every night in Key West, total strangers gather at the edge of the island and applaud a ball of burning gas like it just stuck the landing. The tracker above tells you exactly when the show starts — tonight or any date your trip lands on. Everything below is how to build an evening around it.

Where to watch the sunset

Mallory Square is the main event — free, nightly, performers and fritters from about two hours out. One catch: when a cruise ship stays past sundown, it parks directly in the sightline. If that happens, use one of these:

Sunset Pier — steps from Mallory, painted tables on the water, cocktails priced like the view. Directions →

Fort Zachary Taylor — the locals’ pick. West-facing beach, thin crowd, pines instead of cruise hulls. Gate closes at sundown. Directions →

Simonton Street Beach — pocket-sized, same western exposure as Mallory, a tenth of the crowd, and Lagerheads Beach Bar right on the sand. Directions →

A sunset sail — the splurge that’s worth it. Being on the water for the green-flash hour beats every dock. Sunset Sail Cruise in Key West

Sunset times by month

Jan	6:00 PM	Jul	8:19 PM
Feb	6:22 PM	Aug	8:03 PM
Mar	7:37 PM	Sep	7:32 PM
Apr	7:50 PM	Oct	7:01 PM
May	8:04 PM	Nov	5:41 PM
Jun	8:18 PM	Dec	5:42 PM

Earliest of the year: about 5:39 PM in late November. Latest: about 8:21 PM in late June. Mid-month times shown; the tracker has the exact minute for your date.

Things to do before the sunset

The show is the finale — here’s the rest of the day, from our full guide to things to do in Key West.

MorningCuban coffee at 5 Brothers →A buchi and a guava pastry. Rocket fuel disguised as breakfast.

DaytimeThe Hemingway House →Six-toed cats and the most productive hangover in American literature.

DaytimeRent a bike →Parking is a myth. Surrender to the island's labyrinth on two wheels.

AfternoonFort Zachary Taylor →Civil War fort, the island's best beach, built-in sunset backup plan.

Seaplane view of the Dry Tortugas National Park

Full dayDry Tortugas →70 miles west: a brick fort on a sandbar in impossibly blue water.

Where to eat before & after

Condensed from our guide to the best restaurants in Key West, sorted around sundown.

BeforeBlue Heaven →Roosters underfoot, banana bread worth the line. Go early; dinner waits are biblical.

BeforeEl Siboney →Old-school Cuban, big plates, small prices, fast enough to save golden hour.

DuringLatitudes →Boat ride to Sunset Key, dinner on the sand facing due west. Book ahead.

During / afterLouie's Backyard →Oceanfront deck, Afterdeck bar, waves directly below your drink.

AfterSantiago's Bodega →Tapas and sangria in Bahama Village while you argue about the green flash.

Bars for afterwards

The classicSloppy Joe's →Rum Runner, live band, Hemingway's old haunt. Doing this to people since 1933.

Lagerheads on Simonton keeps your toes in the sand if you watched from the beach, and from there the rest of Duval Street takes care of itself. It always does. For what not to do once it does, read What Not To Do in Key West.

Make a trip of it

Sunset is the one Key West attraction that can’t be marked up — the island around it absolutely can. Check the worst times to visit before you book, and stay in Old Town to walk to Mallory.