Key West's 'Just a Few Friends' Festival Celebrates Jimmy Buffett This Labor Day Weekend

FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY September 1, 2026

Contacts: Chad Newman, Chad@fla-keys.com (310) 283-8441 or Mary B. Haban, Mary@fla-keys.com (305) 394-3142

Story: Key West's 'Just a Few Friends' Festival Celebrates Jimmy Buffett This Labor Day Weekend

Locator: Key West, Fla.

Usage: HANDOUT / RIGHTS CLEARED (Unlimited Broadcast & Digital)

Video Link: Click Here

Radio Link: Click Here

Video: Sound bites with Paul Menta, Just a Few Friends Festival co-organizer, previewing the upcoming celebration in Key West, Fla.

Technical Data:

TRT: 7:10

Filename: JustaFewFreindsPreEvent.mp4

Audio: Stereo

SOTs: Clean / Isolated

Credit: Florida Keys News Bureau (Screen credit appreciated, not mandatory)

Key West's 'Just a Few Friends' Festival Celebrates Jimmy Buffett This Labor Day Weekend

KEY WEST, Fla. (September 1, 2026) — Jimmy Buffett's music is bringing friends back to Key West this Labor Day weekend, with a street party, waterfront concerts and a parade everyone can join.

The third annual Just a Few Friends festival runs Thursday, Sept. 3, through Monday, Sept. 7. The five-day celebration honors Buffett's life and his connection to the island through music, storytelling, food and time on the water.

“Jimmy Buffett passed and we decided to do something, but we didn’t want to mourn it. We wanted to celebrate it,” said festival co-organizer Paul Menta.

Friday night, Gary and the Landsharks will play a free Duval Street party recalling Buffett's 1998 street concert. Sunday's free Party in the Park at Truman Waterfront will feature Mac McAnally, Will Kimbrough and Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band.

Between concerts, visitors can follow Buffett's island footsteps on walking tours, take sunset sails and hear firsthand stories during Tales from the Chart Room. The small bar at the Pier House, where Buffett once played for drinks and tips, is a gathering place throughout the weekend.

“We now call this an experience because it’s not just an event and it’s not just music. There’s art, culture, talks and tours,” said Menta.

Sunday's Second Line Memorial Walking Parade will step off at 5 p.m. from the lower 100 block of Duval Street. Participants will walk down Duval and along Southard Street to Truman Waterfront Park, where the evening's concerts begin at 6 p.m.

“The parade is everybody getting together. Nobody is on the sidewalk. Every single person is involved,” said Menta.

Monday's schedule includes Kimbrough performing inside the Chart Room and a Pencil Thin Mustache Contest. Free and ticketed activities are offered throughout the festival.

Souvenir charity badges support Reef Relief, the Bahama Village Music Program and scholarships for local high school students. The badges are separate from tickets to individual events.

For the schedule and event details, visit JustAFewFriendsKeyWest.com.

###