After a five-year run beginning in 2021, the founders of the Toonerville Music Festival announced its discontinuation via its social media accounts early Tuesday afternoon due to missed attendance targets this past year.
“Simply put, the growth model we created for the festival to continue beyond year five was dependent on hitting attendance targets which we failed to hit despite the great support we felt from the The Pelham Civic Association and the Pelham music and arts community,” said the founders’ social media post.
The music festival brought residents a handful of community-based and hometown favorite bands together for a Saturday of music in September. Big-name acts Soul Asylum (2025) and 10,000 Manics (2024) headlined the two most recent events. Previous headliners included the Spin Doctors, Living Colour and The Verve Pipe.
The Toonerville Music Festival was founded in 2021 by Jason Jeffries, John Gaenzler and Warren Banholzer, according to the festival’s linked-in page.
Rich Zahradnik • Apr 1, 2026 at 7:02 pm
Jason Jeffries, John Gaenzler and Warren Banholzer, the Pelham Civics, local musical acts and dozens and dozens of volunteers: Thank you for bringing to Pelham the community, entertainment and creativity that was the Toonerville Music Festival. I had the best BEST time at the three editions I attended. As a fan of music (and comic strips), the fest became my favorite event in town beginning with Year One. It leaves an amazing legacy of smiles and service!