Welcome to Margaritaville

Fatima Cristina, a 52-year-old Wantagh resident, and Carole Going, a 47-year-old from Plainview, both woke up just after 3 a.m. on Aug. 25. By 5 a.m., Going was in her car, waiting on a line to get into Field 5 — the closest parking lot to the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, where Jimmy Buffett would take the stage in 15 hours.

Going noted that the motorcade of sorts was 75 cars deep when she hopped on line. Before they drove over to Wantagh, her husband, Jeff, had to stop at a local 7 Eleven for ice to fill several coolers that would sit under four tents they planned to set up in the lot for the day. Jeff wasn’t alone — another customer who was picking up multiple bags of ice gave him a knowing glance.

“She looked at him and said, ‘Buffett?” Going recalled with a laugh. “Who else needs three sleeves of ice at 4:15 on a Thursday morning unless you’re coming to Buffett? Every year it just gets earlier and earlier, as this has all really evolved into its own thing.”

Going was referring to the annual pilgrimage Buffett fans young and old make to Jones Beach — but not necessarily for the singer’s concert. Hundreds of Hawaiian-shirt-wearing locals and visitors filled Fields 3, 4 and 5 last week to host elaborate tailgate parties, raise money and, as Cristina noted, have fun.

A ‘parrot head’ party 

Going and Cristina have organized Buffett concert tailgates for the past six years. It all started, Cristina explained, with VIP parking passes, lawn chairs, sandwiches and a bowl of macaroni salad.

When the pair arrived at their first Buffett concert at the beach with their supplies, Going said, they instantly felt like amateurs when they looked out into the parking lot. They drove into a sea of campers, many complete with flags and colorful, tropical-themed décor — including parrots, a symbol of fans of the singer, who has described his music as Caribbean rock. Hundreds of self-proclaimed “parrot heads” set up bars, smokers and barbecues, and the smell of everything from meat and grilled vegetables to desserts mixed with the salty sea air. Some people brought speakers to blast music; others invited bands to play tunes live.

Once Cristina and Going saw the festival-like atmosphere, they knew they wanted to be part of it. They started formalizing an event planning process, having “pre-tailgate” meetings and keeping lists of everything that they needed.

This year, Cristina said, more than 100 people visited their party, complete with a camper, four tents lined with leis, a bar with a hula skirt wrapped around it, food cooked on a device that triples as a barbecue, oven and smoker, games like corn hole and Jenga Giant and, of course, music.

“It’s about bringing our friends together to have a good time,” she said. “We take off from work and relax on a summer day at the beach.” 

Cristina and Going did not attend the Buffett concert, explaining that the size and scale of their tailgate was too much to clean up before show time. Instead, they streamed the concert live through the Radio Margaritaville station on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. While about a dozen people told the Herald they were also opting to drink, eat and listen to the show from the lot, others loyally attend Buffet concerts annually.

Peter Zendt, a 70-year-old Bay Shore resident, has been going to Buffet’s concerts at Jones Beach for more than 20 years with Patty Stretch, with whom he has been friends since they were first-graders. The pair arrived at Field 5 more than 12 hours before show time to chat with friends, meet new ones and enjoy the atmosphere.

Stretch, a 70-year-old Fire Island resident, said they’re fans of Buffett — who is best known for his hits “Come Monday” (1974) and “Margaritaville” (1977) — because many of his songs are about island life. Zendt agreed that his music is relatable, and not just for the baby boomers who grew up listening to his work. 

“He sings about family, sailing, boating — all of the fun stuff in life,” he said. “He sings about things that everyone has done in their lives. So there are younger people here now, but we’re still coming, too.”

Fun and fundraising

Zendt is a member of the METRO Parrot Head Club — a group of Buffett fans from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who hold fundraising events at concerts and elsewhere for charities like the Alzheimer’s Association, Wounded Warriors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island and Adopt-A-Manatee. He explained that by donating to the group’s causes, members are guaranteed Buffett tickets.

Scores of others thought the packed Jones Beach parking lots would be good places to raise money for worthy causes. Over the course of a decade, one fundraiser became the unofficial concert before the concert.