Music Fans Flock to Pleasantville for 13th Annual Music Festival
Since its inception in 2005, the Pleasantville Music Festival has become one of the most anticipated events each year for the village and legions of music fans throughout the tristate area.
Under sunny skies interrupted only by a brief but cooling rainstorm in late afternoon, several thousand music lovers flooded Parkway Field for the 13th annual festival on Saturday. Many spectators arrived before noon to get a seat close to the Main Stage, and crowds continued to stream in throughout the afternoon to watch 18 bands covering a wide assortment of musical genres perform on three stages during the nine-hour festival. Organizers estimated the crowd was the largest turnout in the event’s history, based on a record number of early ticket sales and eyeballing the sea of people covering the field.
“The festival is going great,” said Executive Director Bruce Figler. “It is my honor and privilege to be involved in this festival.”
Grammy Award-winning band Blues Traveler was the headliner, preceded by Living Colour and Suzanne Vega. There was also an impressive lineup of local talent and up-and-coming performers showcasing their musical chops.
English-born folk singer-songwriter James Maddock, who has been based in New York for the past 15 years, entertained for a 35-minute set on the Chill Tent Stage. He said he loved the enthusiasm of the crowd.
“The audience were really on my side,” Maddock said. “They were really a great audience, cheering me and I felt really comfortable up there. They were cheering me on and it was a great experience for me. It’s a lovely day.”
Whether people were attending for the first time or have been festival regulars, patrons shuttled between the three stages to catch the artists perform. Ossining resident Kim Gillman, who attended for the third consecutive year, said she enjoys the event because of the music and the family-friendly surroundings.
“Organizers do a great job at bringing good music and keeping it civilized,” Gillman said. “I’m really excited to see Suzanne Vega, but I really like listening to bands I’ve never heard before.”
First-time festival attendee Ellie Gurin, who traveled from Connecticut, said she was eager to attend after her boyfriend showed her the festival lineup.
“I’m really enjoying the day,” she said. “It’s a day of great music and great friends.”
The festival’s three Battle of the Band winners got the festival off to a strong start on the three stages. Mary Hood, who opened the Chill Tent Stage, said she was nervous before her set but was thankful she remembered all of her lyrics and had a great time.
Ari Perakis, lead singer of the Bedford-based band Riiza, which kicked off the Main Stage performances, said the experience of playing the festival in front of such a large throng of people was “very surreal.”
Riiza, a new group, formed a few months before the four members entered the Battle of the Bands competition because they were having difficulty getting hired for many jobs, said Perakis, a 2016 Byram Hills High School graduate. But any nervousness they felt quickly dissipated.
“Once we started playing the music, it felt like any other gig,” he said. “We wanted to tune out the audience and stuff, focusing on what we’re playing.”
Appearing at the festival for the second time was the Pleasantville-based band Ghost Millionaires. Band member Mani Cregan said he was excited and honored to play in a festival hosted by his home community.
While Figler noted few changes were made from last year, the vendor village was expanded, inviting new businesses to the party, including pop-up Caribbean food catering service Tania’s Kitchen.
“It feels great to be here. At most festivals, the food overlaps but it doesn’t here,” owner Gordi Armand said. “It’s sunny and we’re ready for people to come and try our food.”
Through months of continuous work and exhaustive efforts with the help of about 300 volunteers, Figler said the work they did to put the festival together was mindboggling.
“I’ve lived in Pleasantville for a long time and you really believe in the community here,” volunteer Sharon Avrutick said. “It’s very gratifying to work on a project and to see the results of your efforts. We do the event every year so it’s a satisfying challenge.”
Martin Wilbur contributed to this article.
