A stroll down the blossom-covered paths of Highland Park is more than a spring tradition in Rochester — it’s a rite of passage. Ask any local about the Rochester Lilac Festival, and you’re likely to hear stories about how they’ve attended since childhood, or perhaps the first time they brought their own children to walk the hallowed festival grounds of blooming lilacs (and onions). May 10 through 19 will be the Lilac Festival’s 126th year in the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park, and perhaps the most musically ambitious of its many iterations over the last century.

Jenny LoMaglio is entering her tenth year with the festival, but her first year as lead producer after longtime organizer Jeff Springut (who took over Lilac Fest in 2012 with 90 days' notice) stepped away in 2023.

“When you have a chance to sort of put your own stamp on it, you can capitalize on the things that are already really good,” said LoMaglio, who also has a full-time, remote position with global company Dentsu Creative. “It's almost like we needed to prune the bush, move forward with a bit of a fresh start and something to build off.”

One of the first things she did was call fellow multitasker Dave Drago, owner of boutique recording spot 1809 Studios in Macedon; co-owner of concert venue Essex on University Avenue and talent buying company ZDM Presents; and director of the music business undergraduate program at Nazareth University.

While Drago had a few things on his plate already, he couldn’t pass up a chance to reconfigure the longstanding lineup of cover and tribute bands at Lilac Festival and spotlight original hometown talent alongside larger headlining acts.

“I'm all for connecting the right people with the right gigs, and Jenny and I were in lockstep with the aesthetic,” he said. “Why not let the bands do what the arts and crafts vendors do, making original work and showing it here?”



Drago already had an inspirational model in mind: Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.

“When people go to Newport Folk, they study up, do their homework on the bands playing,” he said. “I want to build that kind of curated experience here — local and national bands that people may have heard once or twice, but aren’t as familiar with.”

What resulted was 10 national headliners with 10 direct support performers, and the largest variety of regional talent in festival history — 14 bands that call the Rochester region home.

Kicking off the regional performances on festival opening day is Bellwether Breaks, a five-piece soul-rock band that’s often compared to Lake Street Dive. Vocalist Elyse Patricia Gayann, who grew up near Letchworth, has attended Lilac Fest annually since she was a child; it was there she was first introduced to live music.

“I found a lot of my favorite bands going to this fest,” she said. “Playing it now, as an original band, feels like a big thing. I can’t believe we’re first, it’s such an honor to kick it off.”

In addition to Gayann, Bellwether Breaks is Chris Coon (keys), Dave Goebel (drums), Wade McClung (guitar), and Eugene Bisdikian (bass). Three of the band members are Eastman School of Music alumni.

“We’re really stoked to play, and excited more original bands are going to be highlighted,” said Gayann. “There’s been a lot of cover bands in the past, but you have to consider that all cover bands are based on original bands.”

The Lilac Festival’s website lists the splashy 10-day lineup, including ‘An Evening of Soul Curated by Danielle Ponder’ on Thursday, May 16. A helpful “for fans of” genre key accompanies each night’s listings and a Spotify playlist featuring this year’s artists are both available online as well.

And though the more than 80 musical acts are getting a lot of attention this year, there’s a ton of work going into the entire infrastructure of the free, all-inclusive festival, including more than 300 juried arts and craft vendors and plenty of family friendly activities. The festival has also partnered with AutismUp to create a dedicated space outfitted with soft lighting and activities that aid regulation for visitors with sensory sensitivities.

“The demographic is everyone — it doesn't matter who you are or where you came from. You can just come to the park and walk through the flowers, or you can hear free music all day long,” said LoMaglio. “The food that you're eating is primarily from local food vendors that are making a go of a small business. Everybody's blood, sweat and tears put this event on. It is for our town.”

Rochester Lilac Festival runs May 10—19; free and open to all. roclilacfest.com

Leah Stacy is the editor of CITY. She can be reached at [email protected].