'Alive On 25' Draws Rave Reviews From Jubilant Crowd

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RIVERHEAD, NY — One of Riverhead's most anticipated events of the summer returned Friday and drew rave reviews as "Alive on 25" delighted a crowd that attended and enjoyed live music, street entertainment, and community spirit — followed by a dazzling fireworks display.

The second event of the summer takes place on Friday, August 1 in downtown Riverhead.

"Now reimagined for 2025, this free block party highlights the best of local talent, businesses, and culture," organizers said.

This year’s festival places a "bold focus" on local music, downtown businesses, and fresh experiences— from live wrestling in the streets, interactive art, and a new Downtown Crawl.

There will be a social media photo challenge, with all info being posted on the event's website.

Speaking with Patch this week, Diane Tucci, event producer and original team member, said: "This event went so smoothly due to the incredible support from all the town workers and community. The first and foremost thanks has to go to Riverhead Town Supervisor Tim Hubbard."

She added: "Instead of letting the event be canceled due to other reasons, he called on me to bring in my team in the ninth hour to pull it together. Once we were in motion, I got nothing but full support for all the ideas I brought to the town board. I wasn't micromanaged; instead, the Main Street Agency team was given the trust and faith to execute the event in the way we imagined it should be — after several years of running many other events and bringing some new perspective and much more experience to the table. An event of this scale can only be executed with an army of teamwork and passionate people."

In the last several years, Tucci said she has been working with many local bands on projects such as creating spaces at "The Lodge" at the Riverhead Moose and 'Ziggy's Place" at Polish Hall.

"Having found a slew of great local talent that helped me on these initiatives, I knew I needed to curate the music at Alive on 25, both as a 'thank you' to them for working with me, but also to be able to make sure the music choices were solid and diverse," she said. "I think what we did has set the stage for an exciting future of events in downtown. And with the fireworks successfully executed on the river — the future Riverfront Town Square becomes easier to visualize. As well as what the potential is for programming and amazing community events."

Alive on 25 and the Halloweenfest planned for October were made possible this year with funding from Dawn Thomas and the Community Development Agency and sponsors, Tucci said.

"This is Riverhead!" Tucci said.

Riverhead Town Councilwoman Joann Waski agreed: "Everything lined up in our favor. The town board's decision to hire Diane Tucci and her company Main Street Agency to run and coordinate the event in less than three months was a bold but smart move."

The weather could not have been better, she said.

"The turnout was probably the best yet," she said. "Tucci's placement of the bands was perfectly orchestrated. The bands were spread apart, so the sounds did not overlap. One attendee said that her 'feet hurt' from dancing so much. The event not only focused on downtown Riverhead businesses but pulled in businesses from all areas within the town. Several vendors returned after several years of basically boycotting the event, each one attributing the return of Tucci as their reason for returning."

The new addition to the event was live wrestling, Waski said. "The Town Square was shoulder-to-shoulder with spectators. The crowd was full of great energy. Overall, Alive on 25 was an amazing success. I could not be more proud to have been a part of it."

Alive on 25 "just highlighted everything awesome about Riverhead," Marc LaMaina wrote on social media. "Kudos to Diane Tucci and her team. This was awesome. Can’t wait for August 1."

Championship Entertainment Productions, who provide the wrestling, wowed the crowd, he said. "Great music, great people and great, great vibes. Well done, Riverhead!" LaMaina said.

"Alive on 25 was always about celebrating Riverhead — but this year, we’ve taken it a step further," Tucci said. "We’ve reimagined the experience to highlight what’s best about our community: its talent, energy, and creative spirit. So it’s a little bit of what you would think to expect and a little bit new. It was time to change things up a bit."

Waski added: "It’s a fresh take on Alive on 25 — more music, more local involvement, and something for everyone. Riverhead’s downtown is the place to be this summer."