Margaritaville March: Thousands Honor Jimmy Buffett with Joyful Tribute
FL KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY August 31, 2025
Contact: Mary B. Haban, Mary@fla-keys.com (813) 210-8585 or Chad Newman, Chad@fla-keys.com (310) 283-8441
Story: Margaritaville March: Thousands Honor Jimmy Buffett with Joyful Tribute
Locator: Key West, Fla.
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Producer’s Note: B-roll of creatively costumed participants in a second line memorial procession to honor the life and legacy of singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett on the second anniversary of his death. SOTs with Jimmy Buffett’s sister, Lucy Buffett.
TRT: 2:35
Filename: KeyWestBuffettParade.mp4
Video Source: Florida Keys News Bureau
Photos & Captions: Below
KEY WEST, Fla. (September 1, 2025) – Thousands of Jimmy Buffett fans gathered in Key West this weekend to celebrate the man, the singer and the free-spirited songwriter who made “Margaritaville” a state of mind.
Wearing tropical shirts, oversized hats, and flower leis (LAYS), Buffett’s ‘Parrotheads’ strolled and sang their way down Key West’s famed Duval Street. The parade honored the singer’s life one day before the two-year anniversary of his death. It was part of ‘Just a Few Friends Key West’ — a four-day festival created to honor the life, music, and sparkling spirit of Key West’s favorite son, Jimmy Buffett.
“Key West was a little bit of a thank you for him. You know, down here, he found his niche, he found a home, and he found the niche of his poetry and his lyrics that really catapulted him into the masses,” said Lucy Buffett, the singer’s sister, who was in Key West for the tribute to her brother.
The memorial march honoring Buffett’s passing wasn’t a sad occasion; rather, a joyful, tropical tribute filled with music, creativity, and community. The crowd, led by Key West musician Howard Livingston, belted out one of Buffett’s most popular hits, “Margaritaville,” as they sang and sauntered down Key West’s Duval Street.
The celebration took place on the island where Buffett spent some of his most creative years, shaping the ‘tropical rock’ sound and laid-back persona that made him a global icon.
“The vim and the vigor that he brought to everything...that's part of our genetics in our family,” recalled his sister, Lucy. “And it is sort of seeing the positive about life. And he lived a great life, and he touched a lot of people in really deep ways.”
Buffett discovered Key West in the early 1970s, and the island’s influence is widely credited with inspiring many of his most enduring songs, including his signature hit “Margaritaville.”
Buffett’s portrayal of Key West in his songs has made it a mecca for his fans, who flocked to the Southernmost city in the U.S. this weekend for the ‘Just a Few Friends’ festivities.
The celebration wraps up Monday night after four days of concerts performed by Buffett’s friends and tribute bands, along with beach parties, island tours, sailing trips, and other events reflecting the Key West lifestyle he immortalized in song.
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This one’s for Jimmy. Thousands of Parrotheads filled Key West’s Duval Street on Sunday, August 31, 2025, singing along to Jimmy Buffett classics like “Margaritaville” during the “Just a Few Friends Key West” festival. The colorful parade marked the second anniversary of Buffett’s passing and celebrated the singer-songwriter’s lasting bond with the island where he lived and found his voice. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
“Fins to the left,” one of Jimmy Buffett’s most iconic songs, reverberated down Key West’s famed Duval Street, as thousands prepared to march in his name. The tribute parade was part of the ‘Just a Few Friends Key West’ festival honoring the singer/songwriter, who lived on the island during some of his most productive years. The memorial march took place on Sunday, August 31, 2025, just one day before the second anniversary of his passing. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Parrotheads unite! Thousands of Jimmy Buffett fans filled Key West’s Duval Street on Sunday, August 31, 2025, for a memorial march celebrating the singer-songwriter’s life and legacy. Buffett penned some of his most enduring hits while living in Key West, including “Margaritaville” and “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” The parade, part of the four-day ‘Just a Few Friends Key West’ festival, came one day before the second anniversary of his death. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Singer Nadirah Shakoor (left), a featured vocalist with Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band for nearly three decades, joined Buffett’s sister Lucy Buffett (center) and Key West musician Howard Livingston (right) to lead thousands of Parrotheads down Duval Street on Sunday August 31, 2025. The lively march, part of the four-day ‘Just a Few Friends Key West’ festival, marked the second anniversary of Buffett’s passing in the island city where he found his voice and his home. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Thousands of Jimmy Buffett fans, many in tropical shirts, hats, and leis, paraded down Key West’s famed Duval Street on Sunday, August 31, 2025, to celebrate the free-spirited songwriter’s life. The colorful tribute, part of the four-day ‘Just a Few Friends Key West’ festival, came one day before the two-year anniversary of Buffett’s death. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Terry Martin/Florida Keys News Bureau).
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