Key West honors Jimmy Buffett with "Just A Few Friends" celebration
KEY WEST - The late singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett is to be honored with the "Just a Few Friends Key West" celebration this weekend in Key West, where he developed the signature "tropical rock" style and laid-back persona that helped make him a world-renowned musical icon.
Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature designated Aug. 30 as "Jimmy Buffett Day."
Buffett, who passed Sept. 1, 2023 after a four-year fight with a rare form of skin cancer, called Key West home during some of his most productive years and its influence is widely credited with inspiring many of his most enduring songs, including the classic hit "Margaritaville."
Last June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that designated State Road A1A, from Key West to the Georgia border, as the "Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway" to honor the singer. He also signed a second bill creating a "Margaritaville" specialty license plate.
On Friday, Aug. 30, the state's transportation department will unveil a "Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway" beside the Key West portion of State Road A1A. For Buffet fans, it will have a special meaning. "A1A" is the name of a pivotal early album by Buffett. Additional signs along the highway will be installed at a future date.
Also, civic leaders, regional celebrities and Buffett fans will gather for the waterfront readings outside his Shrimp Boat Sound recording studio in the Key West Historic Seaport.
On Sunday, Sept. 2, there will be a "second line" memorial walking parade, a procession for fans of Buffett's music and the island lifestyle it promotes, along a portion of Key West's famed Duval Street. The march will feature strolling musicians, themed banners and participants wearing tropical attire. Marchers will proceed up Duval Street and pause to sing Buffett's iconic "Margaritaville" outside the singer-songwriter's original Margaritaville Store.
The festival will also feature concerts by Buffett's musical friends and activities that recall the Key West lifestyle he chronicled in his music.
