The Toonerville Story

The Toonerville Music Festival began when a few local musicians were looking to celebrate Pelham's resiliency during the COVID lockdown—a period void of live music.  At the same time, we were looking to raise money for a good cause and firmly establish Pelham as an arts destination.  What began as an idea in a Pelham backyard quickly grew into a groundswell effort among musicians, neighbors and volunteers to produce "The Biggest Music Event in Pelham History." 

The Toonerville name came from the famous trolley that last rolled through the streets eighty four years ago.  The trolley this time was used to shuttle ticket-holders to and from Pelham’s first annual Toonerville Music Festival.  The free trolley ran around town for the duration of the event, which was a big hit with the kids and festival-goers.

Fans, friends, families and neighbors converged on the day for a safe and socially distanced first festival that included a gourmet food truck alley, two stages—main stage and second stage for local talent for ten hours of non-stop music and fun.  Our 1000 festival attendees drew from the lower Hudson Valley and New York City area. We anticipate comfortably doubling our number of attendees for year two.  The majority of our ticket holders were aged 30-50 with a strong contingency of parents attending with children.  

The first year featured national talent with chart-topping hits mixed with up-and-coming talent, regional acts, and local bands.

We couldn't have done it without the generous participation of our sponsors who received advertising and promotional exposure as well as other sponsorship benefits and all for a wonderful cause truly important to Pelham—The Pelham Civic Association. Every dollar raised by Pelham Civics goes directly back to the community in the form of support for various programs for seniors, youth, disabled and the needy.

Our entire community is thrilled to see "Toonerville" become an annual event.  For 2024, we are excited to continue the success of the first three years with an eclectic mix of national and regional talent on two stages.