Huntington Lighthouse Music Fest Celebrates 14th Year: Info

HUNTINGTON, NY — The 14th annual Huntington Lighthouse Music Festival is scheduled for Saturday from 11 a.m. to dusk, the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society announced.

The society claims the event to be the only music festival in the world held on a working lighthouse in the middle of the water. It has become a Labor Day weekend tradition for boaters, kayakers, paddleboarders, and others from Long Island and beyond, the lighthouse stated. Thousands descend upon Huntington Harbor, sharing a love of the water, the historic lighthouse and music.

"It's the music that brings back an ever-growing audience, year after year," the society stated. "But this year, the music that radiates from the top of the lighthouse will be tinged with a sadness. The man behind making the songs and sounds possible won’t be dashing around the lighthouse, checking power connections, repairing speakers, leading the equipment checks."

Donald Davidson died suddenly at the age of 66. He was a "dear and talented friend" to the preservation society and the one who "dared to make the Music Fest dream a reality."

"Talent, spirit, and a little insanity were needed when we first proposed the idea of a music festival on top of the Lighthouse," HLPS President Pam Setchell said in a news release. "We never imagined we’d find someone to take on the logistical challenges of producing a concert in the middle of the water. But we hadn’t yet met Donald."

At their first meeting, Setchell recalled, they didn’t tell Davidson that a boat was needed to reach the proposed venue, but once he saw the location, he was all in. Thus began a 13 year commitment to the event, battling faulty generators, dodging Nor’easters, saving equipment that went overboard, and making music.

Fortunately for lovers of the festival and the lighthouse, the music lives on. Donald’s son, Harley Davidson, who has worked by his father’s side from the beginning, will lead the project this year.

"My Dad loved the Music Fest and the Lighthouse, and he would want for us to continue his incredible legacy of bringing music to Huntington Harbor," Harley Davidson said.

More information on the 14th annual Huntington Lighthouse Music Festival can be found here.