Key West Rum Festival Raises More Than $22,000 for MARC

The Key West Rum Festival was a tremendous success! MARC extends our sincere gratitude to Neil Lindley for his dedication and support, and to everyone who attended the festival events and concerts, volunteered, donated, or helped make this year’s celebration possible.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, more than $22,000 has been raised for MARC—and donations are still coming in!

Funds raised through the Key West Rum Festival support MARC’s mission of providing services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Monroe County. In addition to raising critical funds, the festival helps bring greater awareness to MARC, the individuals we serve, and the important role they play in our community.

A Community Effort

A very special thank you to Key West Theater, Hemingway Distillery, and The Speakeasy Inn & Rum Bar for hosting events in support of MARC.

We are also grateful to Key West Weekly and the Keys Citizen for promoting the Grand Tasting Event and helping us spread the word throughout the Keys.

Thank you to Island Girl Promotions and Nick Doll for documenting the festivities and capturing the memorable moments of this year’s festival through photography.

A special thank you to the talented musicians Jesse Rice, Cliff Cody, and Sharese for sharing their music and helping make the festival celebrations even more memorable.

We also extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the rum vendors who came out to share their stories, passion, and rum with our guests. Your participation is at the heart of what makes the Key West Rum Festival such a unique and enjoyable event.

Thank You to Our Silent Auction Donors

The generosity of our local business community was on full display through donations to the silent auction. We sincerely thank:

Bagatelle/Nine One Five/First Flight Brewery
Capitana Tiki Bar
Conch Republic Seafood Co.
Cruisin’ Tikis Key West
Earthbound Trading
Hemingway Distillery
Key West Legal Rum
Kino Sandals
Latitudes Sunset Key
Lilly Pulitzer
Lolita’s Coastal Cucina
Love In Bloom Florist
Mary Ellen’s Bar and Kitchen
Sloppy Joe’s Bar
Tijon Key West

Thank you to every local business that participated in and supported this year’s festival. Whether you hosted an event, donated an auction item, promoted the festivities, provided a service, or supported MARC in another way, your generosity helped make the festival a success.

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended the events and concerts. Your support helped us raise funds while increasing awareness of MARC and our mission.

The Key West Rum Festival is a wonderful example of what can happen when our community comes together for a great cause. More than $22,000 raised—and counting—will directly support MARC’s continued work serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Monroe County.

We couldn’t have done it without you, Key West!

Mark your calendars for August 2027, when we’ll raise a glass together again for the 4th Annual Key West Rum Festival!