Thousands of Jimmy Buffett Fans Celebrate His Life and Legacy in Key West

KEY WEST -- Several thousand Friends of Bubba gathered over Labor Day weekend to celebrate the music and life of the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett in Key West—the island where he found his musical identity and opened the original Margaritaville Store.

Just a Few Friends Key West, named for a line in Buffett’s song “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” featured five days of events, including concerts by members of his Coral Reefer Band and other musical friends, a lively look-alike competition, themed contests and parties, insiders’ tales at the Chart Room Bar where he first performed locally, on-the-water adventures and events spotlighting the Key West lifestyle and locales he sang about.
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The festival also gave fans an opportunity to remember the iconic performer, who passed away Sept. 1, 2023, and commemorate the role his music played in their lives—particularly during the highlight Second Line Memorial Walking Parade through Key West’s streets.
“Jimmy’s music changed our lives,” said Laurel Shoemaker, who traveled from Long Island, N.Y., with her husband, Gary, for Just a Few Friends. “It brought us together with Parrot Heads that are lifelong friends, that we share something wonderful with, but we also share the sorrow of losing him.”

The procession ended at Key West’s Truman Waterfront Park, where the free Party in the Park featured nonstop live music by talents including 10-time CMA Musician of the Year and longtime Coral Reefer Mac McAnally, acclaimed singer-songwriter Will Kimbrough, and Florida Keys trop-rocker Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band. Attractions also included a pop-up food court, an artisan market and sunset viewing from the park.

Buffett discovered Key West in the early 1970s and opened his original Margaritaville Store there in the mid-1980s. The island’s influence is widely credited with inspiring his musical style and persona, as well as classic songs including “A Pirate Looks at Forty”—helping make him an icon whose music touched millions.

“What makes Just a Few Friends so special is that it could only happen in Key West,” said festival co-founder Paul Menta. “We’re not simply celebrating Jimmy’s music. We’re bringing people together in the places he loved, with musicians and friends who were part of his story, while giving back to the island community that helped inspire it all.”

Other Just a Few Friends highlights included the City of Key West’s “Jimmy Buffett Day” proclamation ceremony outside his Shrimp Boat Sound recording studio; a preview of a documentary in progress about the famed studio; concerts by Kimbrough, Coral Reefer vocalist Nadirah Shakoor and former Coral Reefer guitarist Roger Bartlett, among others; and a performance by Gary Roland and the Landsharks on Key West’s Duval Street that reimagined a surprise 1998 show by Buffett and his band.

Festival attendees also enjoyed guided walking and trolley tours of Buffett’s favorite places, sailing adventures on the waters he loved, a mouthwatering Cheeseburger Beach Battle for burger masters and a pair of Margarita Bar Strolls.

Proceeds from the festival’s collectible event badges directly benefit three local causes: Reef Relief, the Bahama Village Music Program and scholarships for local students through the nonprofit Community Foundation of the Florida Keys. During the past two years, more than $75,000 in badge contributions has been raised for the organizations.

Held annually over Labor Day weekend in Key West, Just a Few Friends returns Sept. 2–6, 2027.

For additional information, visit JustAFewFriendsKeyWest.com.
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Just a Few Friends is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jimmy Buffett’s Estate or Margaritaville Enterprises.