Black Pumas to Star in Key West’s COAST is Clear Music & Arts Festival

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — The internationally acclaimed Black Pumas and other indie and folk-rock all-stars are to entertain music lovers during the 2021 COAST is Clear Music & Arts Fest, a high-energy Key West gathering set for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4.

The festival is headquartered at the newly restored Parade Grounds event venue at historic Fort East Martello Museum, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd. Attractions are to include nonstop live music on three stages, an artist market, food vendors and libations from a cash bar. 

Co-produced by the Florida Keys’ COAST Projects and the Key West Art & Historical Society, operators of the museum, the festival offers attendees a chance to celebrate camaraderie and creativity in an open-air setting beside the Atlantic Ocean. 

Entertainment headliners the Black Pumas are four-time Grammy Award nominees known around the globe for their psychedelic soul stylings. Performing with the Rolling Stones shortly before their Key West appearance, the Texas-based band is currently on an international tour. 

The entertainment lineup also features national and international favorites Langhorne Slim, Phosphorescent, Rayland Baxter, Liz Cooper and SUSTO as well as talented local musicians.  

As well as providing an all-day outdoor cultural experience for attendees, the festival showcases the new Fort East Martello Parade Grounds venue. Located adjacent to the Civil War–era fort, the original grounds were used for military operations and soldier training. 

Today the fort is a museum that displays unique Key West artifacts and memorabilia including Robert the Haunted Doll, and the works of the late Upper Keys artist Stanley Papio. The parade grounds’ restoration — a nine-month project that included elevating the space to reduce possible water pooling, installing lights and a perimeter fence, and landscaping with more than 32 salt-tolerant native plants and trees — was completed in October and partially funded by the Florida Keys tourism council.

Tickets for the all-day COAST is Clear Music & Arts Festival are priced at $105 per person, with free admission for kids ages 12 and under and special discounts for teachers, military personnel and first responders. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets. VIP tickets with access to additional events are available as well.

Organizers plan to enforce COVID-19 health safety protocols including a cap on ticket sales to regulate audience size.

Limited parking is available and bicycling to the festival is encouraged. Event information and ticketing: coastisclearfest.com