Facts about the Key West Songwriters Festival

The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s 21st Annual Key West Songwriters Festival, in association with Visit Florida, Deep Eddy Vodka and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, is quickly approaching!

Here is a list of facts you may not have known about this truly unique festival!

10 Awesome Facts about the Key West Songwriters Festival

Slated for May 4-8, the festival will bring five whole days of well-crafted songwriting to the idyllic island of Key West.

Most of the shows during the festival are completely free, including over 50 in-the-round sessions with multiple writers, a kick-off concert featuring Rhett Akins, and a free Jake Owen show in the heart of Duval Street.

Top-tier writers and GRAMMY nominees such as Robert Earl Keen, Shawn Camp, Natalie Hemby, Liz Rose and Lori McKenna will perform some of their original, award-winning songs and tell the stories behind them.

No other festival puts you this close to so many chart-topping writers at one time. With more than 200 songwriters performing at the festival, you’re sure to hear some old favorites and discover new ones.

Proceeds from the Key West Songwriters Festival benefit the BMI Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1985 that supports the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, grants and commissions.

Catch as much music as you want – with shows starting at noon and running until 2 a.m. or later, the Key West Songwriters Festival is a music-lovers feast.

Speaking of feasts – Key West is home to hundreds of restaurants, bars and hotels featuring a wide range of choices. Foodies, rejoice!

The entire schedule of shows has been released, so you can plan your weekend to the tee, or just go with the flow if that’s your thing: Find the schedule at www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com.

Key West’s literary history isn’t just Hemingway, Williams and Frost. The Island was home to great songwriters as well. Many of Jimmy Buffett and Shel Silverstein’s songs were inspired and created on the island.

You should book your trip now – the island is filling up quickly. For information regarding reservations, check out www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com.

About the Key West Songwriters Festival

The Key West Songwriters Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world. The event’s 1995 debut was small but memorable, featuring Mickey Newbury and Shel Silverstein. BMI stepped in as a partner and sponsor in 1996 and has helped it grow into both a tourist attraction and favorite of island locals. The festival revolves around five days and nights of more than 50 free shows, staged at an array of the island’s most popular drinking holes and hot spots, where live music introduces crowds to the faces, voices and stories behind the songs. Diverse lineups featuring more than 200 top songwriters deliver rare, “Key West-only” moments. You can find out more information at www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com.