December 31, 2025
By John Hayden
She’s elegant, beautiful, and looks great in heel. Not heels. Heel.
Mulan Alexander will step into Key West’s iconic, life-size high heel and descend to Duval St. to ring in 2026. It’s the island’s, and the global LGBTQIA+ community’s, signature new year event.
Mulan was selected to step into the shoe by winning a contest. Six competed for the honor, with Miss Alexander taking the title and CC Glitzer serving as the runner up/back up.
Moments after being named the winner at Bourbon St. Pub, the shoe was rolled out Mulan stepped in and was immediately comfortable in her new year accommodations. Wearing a backless dress featuring warm, autumn colors, she turned to the crowd and gave a wave as only a pageant queen can.
The party in Key West is legendary. CNN often has a live reporter there and makes Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen jealous as they shiver in New York’s Times Square.
Meanwhile, a South Florida legend-in-the-making will entertain the crowd leading up to midnight. Country singer Ry Rivers is one of the headlining acts at the Bourbon St. Pub party.
“Key West is one of my favorite places in the world,” he told OutClique. “I’ve been going there my whole life.”
Rivers, who grew up in South Florida, is everywhere these days. He sang the national anthem at the Dolphins’ primetime game in October and became the first artist to perform with a full band at the new Gray Box Theater. His new single, I Can’t Drink Like I Used To, will likely be very relatable to the Key West crowd when the sun rises on Jan. 1, 2026.
While he’s a frequent visitor to Key West, this will be his first shoe drop. “I’m a virgin! We’ll see.”
