Before his death on Sept. 1, 2023, Jimmy Buffett reportedly told friends and family to “keep the party going. Play the music.”
And Key West has done exactly that in the three years since the singer/songwriter succumbed to a rare form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma in his Sag Harbor, N.Y. home.
Just a Few Friends Key West, named for a line in Buffett’s song “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” drew thousands of tropically attired fans to the island for five days of music and memories. There was a “Bubba Look-alike Contest” to see who looked the most like the man who took us all to Margaritaville. Tales from the Chart Room let fans in on the inside jokes and “only in Key West” tales shared by longtime Buffett friend — and Keys Weekly columnist — Carol Shaughnessy in the tiny bar where he got his start.
Each year also includes an upbeat, Second Line procession through Old Town Key West celebrating the music man who said of Key West in the late 1970s, “I have found me a home.”
The procession ended at Truman Waterfront Park, where a free party featured nonstop live music by 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.
“What makes Just a Few Friends so special is that it could only happen in Key West,” said festival co-founder and local rum maker 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.”
The city of Key West issued a “Jimmy Buffett Day” proclamation outside his Shrimp Boat Sound recording studio, which included a preview of a documentary-in-progress about the legendary studio. The event is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jimmy Buffett’s estate or Margaritaville Enterprises.
Proceeds from the festival’s collectible event badges directly benefit three local causes: Reef Relief, the Bahama Village Music Program and local scholarships 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. More information is at justafewfriendskeywest.com.
