Fans Salute Jimmy Buffett During ‘Just a Few Friends’ Festival in Key West, His Former Home
KEY WEST, FL – Several thousand Jimmy Buffett fans promenaded along Key West’s Duval Street Sunday, Aug. 31, during a Second Line Memorial Walking Parade saluting the life and legacy of the late musical icon on the island that inspired his signature “trop-rock” sound.
Marchers wearing tropical shirts and flower leis bounced beach balls, blew bubbles, and waved huge banners bearing Buffett’s likeness during the exuberant procession that highlighted the Just a Few Friends celebration staged over Labor Day Weekend.
The parade was led by a group including Buffett’s youngest sister Lucy Buffett, a restaurateur and cookbook author; vocalist Nadirah Shakoor of his famed Coral Reefer Band; and Keys “trop-rock” musician Howard Livingston. Along the route, Shakoor and Livingston led march participants in a rousing version of Buffett’s best-known hit “Margaritaville.”
Buffett, who passed away Sept. 1, 2023, discovered Key West in the early 1970s and its influence is widely credited with inspiring many of his classic songs. He called the island home for many years and frequently referenced its characters, landmarks and laid-back attitude in his lyrics. His first Margaritaville Store and Margaritaville Café debuted there in the mid-1980s, cementing Key West’s status as a mecca for his fans.
“Key West is where Jimmy found his home in his heart, and where he found the niche of his creativity that spurred him into the masses,” said Lucy Buffett during the festival’s kickoff ceremony outside her brother’s Shrimpboat Sound recording studio.
“And that’s why all of you all got touched — because of the life that he found when he got here,” she added to the assembled crowd.
Many participants in the Second Line Walking Parade were drawn by the chance to commemorate the role Buffett’s music played in their lives.
Christine and Scott Springfield, who dressed themselves and their 12-year-old Golden retriever Captain Jack in tropical garb for the march, came to celebrate the man whose music sparked a life change that made them Florida Keys residents.
“Jimmy is what inspired us to sell everything we had in Texas and buy a boat,” said Christine Springfield with a vivid smile. “Now we live on a boat in Marathon .”
The procession ended at Key West’s Truman Waterfront Park, where the free “Party in the Park” concert featured Shakoor, Livingston & the Mile Marker 24 Band, and others who learned from or performed with Buffett. Among the open-air gathering’s additional attractions were an artisan market and food court, full bars, art exhibitions, selfie stations and an interactive remembrance area.
Other festival events included walking and trolley tours of Buffett’s favorite places; sailing adventures on the waters he loved; a Cheeseburger on the Beach Contest and Margarita Bar Stroll; concerts by Will Kimbrough, co-writer of Buffett’s posthumous hit “Bubbles Up,” and former Coral Reefer guitarist Roger Bartlett; and a new look at the real-life renegade behind Buffett’s iconic song “A Pirate Looks at Forty.”
Proceeds from the festival’s collectible event badges directly benefit three Key West organizations: Reef Relief, the Bahama Village Music Program, and the Key West High School Marching Band.
The 2026 Just a Few Friends celebration is scheduled for Sept. 3-7, again over Labor Day weekend.
“The greatest gift Jimmy ever gave me was bringing me to Key West,” said Lucy Buffett, who has owned a home on the island for many years. “And there’s never any place I want to be on Labor Day weekend, ever again for as long as I have breath, except for Key West.”
Source: Daily Plan-it/Jill Snodgrass – PRESS RELEASE – 2025-09-02 – Thousands Celebrate Jimmy Buffett in Key West
