“Nudity is illegal. Key West city code specifies that body paint does not constitute clothing. Nudity is not allowed on public property or in public view. Please wear a cover-up to avoid exposure on city streets.” This is the “official” Key West city regulation posted on the Fantasy Fest web site...but rules, as we all know, are made to be broken.

If nothing else, I am leaving Key West with images of painted breasts burned into my brain. I was only here for the last three days of this seven day festival, where I was sent to photograph the event for HotMovies.com, one of the main sponsors. In a great room overlooking Duvall street, I was situated in the perfect location to capture the spirit if the festivities as well as view the entire parade that was the finale.

One thing - perhaps the only thing - I have learned about women is that nearly all of them love shiny things, and it doesn't matter whether they're diamonds or plastic metallic-looking beads. This was my first Fantasy Fest (and I hope not my last), and I quickly learned that shiny beads are a very valuable commodity. [Note to self: buy beads for next year's Fantasy Fest.] Apparently women are even willing to break the law to obtain them. Not unlike like Mardi Gras, it didn't take much more than a single strand to convince a woman to bare her breasts. I saw more shapes and sizes of tits in three days than I have for most of the year... and I've had a very good year.

There is much more, however, than bead-tossing and breast-baring to Fantasy Fest. It's really a celebration of the freedom to be unique, sexy, or just plain weird. Modesty was put aside for a little while, as women shed their clothing and became works-of-art under the skillful touch of a body-painter. Once painted, they strolled up and down Duvall street and posed to have their picture taken by anyone who asked.

Between 80 and 90 thousand people attended what is best described as Key West 's Mardi Gras. The crowd began to trickle out early in the day, to enjoy the perfect weather as they walked the length of Duvall and took in the sights. As the sun went down, and the drinks kicked in, the crowd became even more excitable. The entire street was blocked off to accommodate the masses, while along the length of Duvall any variety of entertainment could be found, including street performers, dancing, drinking, or simply the joy of people-watching. The party went on late into the night, and I was able to make it until about 4am amidst the few remaining party zombies roaming the street.

On Saturday, the day of the parade that was the Grand Finale, it rained, but hey, it is just a little bit of water! The party must go on! Throughout most of the afternoon, people huddled beneath awnings and packed the bars and restaurants. Women wore clear ponchos through which their painted breasts could be seen if you looked closely enough, and a feeling of dread hung in the air that the evenings festivities would be ruined by the weather. Late in the afternoon however, the sky cleared and the crowd poured out of the bars and into the street.

The street was cleared for the parade, and the sidewalks became host to an even more bizarre show. Over 70 floats were part of this year's parade, and it took many hours for them to move up the entire length of Duvall street . Once the floats passed by, the crowd marched behind them as if a living organism - a giant human amoeba, if you will. Thousands of people were jammed together, dancing and reveling in the wake of the parade. From my balcony above, the massive crowd looked like an orgy of flesh, pressed against one another in night of bacchanalian revelry.

For three days, I took to the street with my video camera to capture the spirit of the event for a documentary of Fantasy Fest 2006. This was a true expression of freedom. Except for one small handful of protesters, for whom the site of a nipple were sent into a frothing religious fury, the people who traveled to Key West were there to celebrate life, freedom and camaraderie.

Exclusive Key West Fantasy Video now live! .

Click here to see the entire Fantasy Fest 2006 photo gallery.