Lower Keys · July
Underwater Music Festival
Once a year, the Lower Keys pipe music into the ocean. Speakers suspended beneath boats at Looe Key Reef broadcast a curated playlist, US 1 Radio 104.1 FM simulcasts it topside, and hundreds of divers and snorkelers swim through it while costumed characters pose with fake instruments on the bottom. It has been going since 1985 and there is nothing else like it.
The 2026 festival lands Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, with a welcome party Friday and the reef broadcast Saturday from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event itself is free. Getting out to the reef is the part you plan for.
Quick Facts
- Dates
- July 10 and 11, 2026; broadcast Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Where
- Looe Key Reef, about six miles south of Big Pine Key
- Cost
- Festival free; charter boat seats roughly $50 to $150
- Radio
- US 1 Radio, 104.1 FM, simulcasts the playlist
- Skill level
- Snorkelers welcome; the reef is shallow
- Since
- 1985
How to actually get out there
Looe Key sits about six miles off Big Pine Key, so you need a boat. Dive and snorkel charters out of Big Pine, Ramrod and Summerland load up fast for festival Saturday; seats run roughly $50 to $150 depending on the operator, with dive trips at the higher end and snorkel trips at the lower. Book weeks ahead, not days.
Running your own boat? Looe Key is a sanctuary preservation area. Tie to a mooring buoy, never anchor, and expect the buoys to go early on festival morning.
What it is like down there
The playlist leans ocean-themed: think "Yellow Submarine" and Jimmy Buffett, plus whale song mixed between tracks. Sound travels strangely underwater, so the music seems to come from everywhere at once. Divers dressed as mermaids and sea creatures ham it up with fake guitars and keyboards on the sand channels. The whole thing doubles as a reef-conservation message wrapped in a joke that has held up for four decades.
- · Snorkelers get plenty. Much of Looe Key's best structure sits in 8 to 20 feet of water.
- · The broadcast runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Morning trips get calmer seas.
- · July water is bathtub warm, but bring sun protection for the boat ride. Reef-safe sunscreen only.
- · Not getting wet? Tune to 104.1 FM and enjoy the playlist with the air conditioning on.
Make a weekend of it
The festival is the Lower Keys' signature weekend, and the neighborhood around it is worth the trip on its own: the Key Deer refuge on Big Pine, the sandbar at Bahia Honda, sunset at the old bridge. Rooms in the Lower Keys are limited, so lock lodging when you book the boat.
Want more on Underwater Music Festival?
Official details from the organizers, plus Keys Weekly's coverage from the newspaper.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Underwater Music Festival in 2026?
Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, 2026. The underwater broadcast at Looe Key Reef runs Saturday from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
How much does it cost?
The festival itself is free. You pay for the boat: charter seats out of the Lower Keys run roughly $50 to $150. Private boats can use the sanctuary mooring buoys at no charge.
Do I need to be a certified diver?
No. Looe Key is shallow enough that snorkelers get a front-row experience, and most charters carry both divers and snorkelers.
How is music played underwater?
Speakers are lowered beneath boats positioned over the reef, broadcasting a playlist simulcast by US 1 Radio 104.1 FM. Sound carries remarkably well through water, so you hear it across the whole site.
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