WXPN Welcomes the 13th Annual Haverford Music Festival on Saturday, September 6, 2025 

Announcing our headliners for the 2025 Haverford Music Festival

The family-friendly music festival will feature a full day’s worth of entertainment, headlined by 2024 Grammy Award–winning artist Buckwheat Zydeco, Jr.; jazz guitarist and vocalist Sasha Dobson; alt-folk-rock band Arbouretum; and local rockabilly artists Dibbs and the Detonators, and supported by numerous regional performers from throughout the Delaware Valley and beyond.

The Haverford Music Festival is a family music festival that celebrates creativity, supports arts and education, and fosters a vibrant cultural landscape in Havertown. It draws visitors from Delaware County, Philadelphia, the Main Line, and beyond, to enjoy a day of diverse local, national, and international artists. 

There will be two stages, behind and in front of the Oakmont School Building, 50 East Eagle Road, in Havertown, Pa. Area business sponsors and vendors will fill booths along the adjacent East Hathaway Lane. There will be food vendors, beer and wine gardens, children’s activities and much more end-of-summer fun for the entire family. 

Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. (Sir Reginald Masters Dural) is a 2024 Grammy Award–winning artist from Lafayette, Louisiana. The son of legendary zydeco musician Buckwheat Zydeco, he began his musical journey at just 17 by joining his father’s band before becoming the frontman for the Ils Sont Partis Band, whose classic zydeco sound blends rhythm and blues with signature instruments like the accordion and Creole rubboard. 

A multi-instrumentalist who has played the Hammond B-3 organ, accordion, and other instruments, Zydeco Jr. has shared the stage with some of the most renowned figures in music, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Dwight Yoakam, and Los Lobos, to name a few. These collaborations helped him hone his craft and shape a unique musical voice that blends zydeco, blues, and rock influences. He has appeared on major television programs including The David Letterman Show, CBS Morning News, and Good Morning America, showcasing his dynamic stage presence to a global audience. 

Following the death of his father in 2016, Buckwheat, Jr. now performs with his father’s iconic custom monogrammed accordion and shares the stage with his son, Kyle Anthony Dural, who plays the rubboard. This family connection is deeply meaningful to Buckwheat, Jr., who reflects, “Everywhere I go, my son is on my right. It really is a blessing.”

Returning to the Haverford Music Festival following her 2016 performance on the Haverford Music Festival stage, Sasha Dobson has been a prominent vocalist and songwriter on the New York jazz and singer/songwriter scene for the past decade and change. Her name may be familiar to some from her collaborations with Norah Jones, with whom she will be touring as lead guitarist, or from her work in a trio led by composer guitarist/keyboardist Pat Irwin of the B52s. She’s the daughter of legendary jazz pianist Smith Dobson, and her entire family is well known for their contributions to jazz in the Bay Area.  

As a guitarist and songwriter, Dobson blends intuitive phrasing and refined storytelling chops with her honest, witty lyrics. Most recently, she released an EP of original songs recorded barebones with bassist producer and president of Blue Note Records, Don Was, along with drummer and fellow Bob Weir Wolf bro Jay Lane, entitled Simple Things.  Sasha also released a full-length jazz album featuring her deep connection with the jazz icon, guitarist and NY staple, Peter Bernstein.  

The Baltimore-based folk-rock band Arbouretum blends English folk, country blues, Americana, and 70s psychedelia into classic strong structures. The four-piece has perfected the craft of storytelling using the interplay of melodies and prosaic lyrics to engage the listener and transport them the way an immersive novel would.  

Their most recent album, Let It All In, stands as their most accomplished and evocative album to date. Guitarist and vocalist Dave Heumann’s melodies and solos still remain a central focus, making each song a vivid scene or tale; meticulously detailed and crafted, transporting the listener to another world and time. 

Also appearing, and representing the Philadelphia region, Glenside-based Dibbs and the Detonators will bring their signature rockabilly party sound to the Haverford Music Festival stage, appearing at the festival for the first time since 2015. The band has played all over the U.S. as headliners and opening for The Brian Setzer Orchestra, getting audiences dancing with their infectious sound. 

Born and raised in London, lead singer Stephen “Dibbs” Preston was a founding member and lead guitarist for neo-rockabilly band Levi and the Rockats, and then, throughout the 1980s, served as lead singer with the Rockats, with whom he toured nationally and internationally (including Europe and the Far East), both as headliners and opening for the likes of Kiss, the Pretenders, the Clash, David Bowie and Daryl Hall & John Oates.  

 Photography: Arbouretum by Patrick McQuade, Sasha Dobson by Tori Williams

Haverford Music Festival Stage to Be Renamed in Honor of Barry Gutman

Gutman, who passed away during the summer of 2024, was instrumental in expanding the Music Festival’s reach during his time as press officer.

 Performer applications for the 13th Annual Haverford Music Festival on Saturday September 6, 2025, are now open.
NOTE: Performer applicants are volunteering to perform. Only performers who have filled out our application form will be considered.

Thank you to our 2024 Sponsors:

Diamond Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Gold  Sponsors

Silver  Sponsors

Apple Flappin’
BHCU
Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Carmona Mobile Foods
CertaPro Painters
Citylight Church
Cousins Maine Lobster
Frios Gourmet Pops
Haverford Democrats
Haverford Republicans
Haverford YMCA
H & B Driveway Resealing
Humpty’s Dumplings
Jazzy River Designs
Kettle Express Concessions
Nolan Painting
Pennsylvania Distilling Company
Peterson Insurance
Philly Hots
Renewal by Andersen
Shugar Shack Soul Food
Stretch Funeral Home
Town Square Rental Inc.
Wilson’s Secret Sauce
WSFS Bank

Bronze  Sponsors

Leonard Insurance
Mom’s Organic Market Bryn Mawr
PA Treasury
Marty’s Guitars

Crafters’ Corner

Hair Glam
Tiny Tails Pop Up Shop
Turtle Cay Craft Studio
Wee Marie’s Shortbread

The festival is being run by the 501 (c)(3) nonprofit – HTEAMS (Haverford Township Education, Arts & Music Society) – and we’re seeking sponsorships! Become a sponsor and let the residents of Haverford Township, and throughout the region, know you support entertainment, arts and music in our community! The Haverford Music Festival is a free admission event funded solely through sponsorships and donations. More information on sponsorships can be found here.

We’re excited to share that HTEAMS (Haverford Township Education, Arts & Music Society) has earned a 2025 Gold Seal of Transparency with Candid!
Now, you can support our work with trust and confidence by viewing our nonprofit Profile.

For general information please contact us at: [email protected]

Please contribute what you can today.
It will help us tremendously since our fundraising for this year has been hampered by the pandemic.

You may donate through PayPal to Haverford Twp Education Arts and Music Society
by clicking on the DONATE button below:

Or donate through Venmo to @HTEAMS

Our Mission:
The Haverford Township Education, Arts & Music Society (HTEAMS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the community through arts, music, and cultural experiences. Through our annual Haverford Music Festival, we celebrate creativity, support arts and education, and foster a vibrant cultural landscape in Havertown.