WXPN Welcomes the 13th Annual Haverford Music Festival

WXPN welcomes the 13th Annual Haverford Music Festival on Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 12 noon to 9 p.m.

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, a beer and wine garden, children’s activities, and much more end-of-summer fun for the entire family.

This Year’s Headliners

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.

Also taking the Haverford Township Music Festival stages will be many additional performers

who will be announced later this summer.

“The festival is a lot of fun to put on, but we rely on help from volunteers for a few hours here

or there throughout the day for it to succeed,” says HTEAMS president Jesse Hubley.

“Anyone interested in volunteering will find a choice of options, such as stage and booth set up,

take down, clean-up or band hospitality. Your help is greatly needed and will certainly be deeply appreciated!”

To volunteer for the option of your choice, visit

https://www.signupgenius.com/g...

The Haverford Music Festival could not take place without the generous support of our sponsors. Businesses and organizations interested in being sponsors or vendors, please visit our website at https://haverfordmusicfestival.org/sponsors/

Or contact HTEAMS Sponsorship Coordinator, Monica Amberger, at monica.amberger@hteams.org

About the Haverford Township Education, Arts & Music Society

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. We draw visitors from Delaware County, Philadelphia, the Main Line, and beyond, to enjoy a day of diverse local, national, and international artists.