Key West marked Labor Day weekend with “Just a Few Friends”, a 5 day island wide celebration of Jimmy Buffett’s music, friendships and enduring connection to the place that shaped much of his sound.
What began as an impromptu local remembrance after Buffett’s death on September 1st 2023 has grown into an annual gathering that brings together thousands of Parrotheads, musicians, residents and visitors, marching, singing and celebrating the man whose music became the soundtrack to so many lives.
The festival filled Key West with waterfront concerts, storytelling, walking tours, sunset sails, sandbar parties, food and drink events and visits to the island landmarks associated with Buffett’s early career.
The idea was not to simply play songs, but to let people experience the streets, bars, harbor and easy going community spirit behind them.
One special location was the Chart Room at the Pier House where Buffett performed for drinks after arriving in Key West in 1971.
The weekend centerpiece was the Second Line Memorial Walking Parade down Duval street, where thousands of fans joined the festive procession before gathering at Truman Waterfront Park for a free party in the park concert where longtime Coral Reefer Mac McAnally and Buffett collaborator Will Kimbrough were among the featured performers.
There were prizes at the “Bubba Look Alike” contest (Jimmy’s friends called him Bubba) and also a “Pencil Thin Mustache” contest.
There was a “Friend’s of Bubba’s After Party” where pianist and vocalist Aaron Luca did live piano karaoke sing-alongs of Buffett favorites along with the crowd at American Legion Post 168.
In a sense, “Just a Few Friends” is deliberately, ironic, despite its intimate name drawn from Buffett’s song, “A Pirate Looks at Forty”.
The gathering remains personal to the Parrotheads, raising a glass, singing along and keeping alive the Key West island sensibility that it was part of Buffett’s world.
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