June 2, 2025 (Westwood, N.J.) — Celebrate Westwood kicks off the 2025 Music on the Avenues season on Saturday, June 7 with a special mid-day performance by first-time participant and local resident Dan McNeely of Danny Mac Melodies. Find him on the corner of Center and Westwood avenues from noon to 3 p.m., weather permitting.
The lineup continues Saturdays through June with midday performances by The Bones (Rececca Davies & James Kierman of Washington Township) on Saturday, June 14, and the return of Dan McNeely on Saturday, June 21. Evening performances kick off around 6:30 on Friday, June 20 with Perry Okie of Old Tappan, followed by returning Hillsdale favorite Steffani Bette on Friday, June 27 and returning soloist (sometimes accompanied by her daughter) Dani Eye on Saturday, June 28.
Performances kick back up after the July 4th holiday and run each Friday and Saturday evening from approximately 6:30 to 8 on the sidewalk along the intersection of Center and Westwood avenues, featuring artists listed above, plus returning musician Dave Dunn of River Vale and Chris Repetti (The Guests) of Emerson.
Performances pause for the Labor Day holiday weekend and finish with a combination of evening and Saturday afternoon performances that bring the Hub of the Pascack Valley right through September.
Organizers say the artists promise acoustic covers ranging from ’60s–’90s pop, “happy songs you’ll want to sing along to,” and originals played as solos and duets with guitar and keyboard accompaniment.
By designating several locations downtown as outdoor performance areas during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Borough of Westwood enabled Celebrate Westwood to help create a safe, inviting atmosphere in which to enjoy the arts, whether for a few minutes while shopping or longer while enjoying a meal or treat outside. The program was a success and has been renewed and permitted each year since.
Organizers say, “Proudly, many musicians have returned for multiple seasons.”
In 2023, Music on the Avenues was recognized with a Tools of the Trade Excellence Award by Downtown New Jersey (DNJ), a non-profit membership organization which believes that downtowns reflect our communities’ unique identities, provide a focal point, a convenient local place of commerce, and offer a sense of place where people can gather and truly be a community.
Funding for Music on the Avenues is collected through membership in Celebrate Westwood’s BIZhub committee. It is the intent of the organization that these low-cost, high-impact events which span across fourteen summer weekends, serve to enhance local economic vitality by encouraging residents and visitors to stroll a little further, linger a little longer, and spend a little more time downtown.
BIZhub was created in 2023 for networking and information sharing among local business owners and operators and now boasts more than 75 members. For more on these musicians, follow us on Instagram or Facebook @celebratewestwood. To support local, live music through programming like Music on the Avenues, consider donating. For more information write Celebrate Westwood.