The McLean Avenue Merchants Association (MAMA) is excited to bring back the “Meet Me on McLean” Fall Festival on September 7, 2024. The Fall Festival is one of the most anticipated events on the calendar in the local community, as well as across Yonkers. Celebrated from Noon to 6 PM, McLean Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic between Aqueduct Avenue and Woodlawn Avenue. The street will be converted into an exciting walkable exposition of the local merchants, as well as dozens of other participating vendors, food stands, small businesses, and non-profit organizations who will be stationed on either side of the street in tents and food trucks. Live musicians will entertain attendees on both ends of the festival from their respective stages throughout the afternoon. Some of the participating restaurants and saloons will also be featuring their own live music inside and outside of their establishments to keep the good vibes of music playing as spectators walk down the Emerald Mile. Young attendees can enjoy various carnival rides, games, and activities. Young adults and older attendees will be able to purchase refreshments from outdoor stands hosted by one of McLean Avenue’s many iconic pubs.
On the intersection of McLean Avenue and Kimball Avenue, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano will lead the official ribbon-cutting ceremony with the board of MAMA. Celebrating alongside them will be Yonkers City Councilmember John Rubbo, other members of the city council, and the Yonkers delegation in the Westchester County Board of Legislators, NY State Assembly, and NY State Senate. Everyone is invited to attend.
All the official live acts have been confirmed. On the Woodlawn Avenue Stage, DJ Ant G. will be the DJ for the day between acts as Niall O’Hagan performs between 1 pm – 3pm and The Indecisions go on stage between 3:30 pm – 6 pm. On the Aqueduct Avenue Stage, DJ Pete will be spinning tunes between live acts from Noon – 6 PM as The Guss Hayes Band performs from 1 pm – 3pm and Ludlow Bound from 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm.
Attendees should take note of the following items. People attending from outside of the neighborhood and driving are asked to be respectful to the residents, and not block any driveways or essential pathways of egress. McLean Avenue and all immediate adjacent side street blocks between Aqueduct and Woodlawn will close at 10 AM and not re-open until about 9 PM at the latest. Please be mindful of where you dispose of garbage and do not bring alcoholic beverages outside of the festival area. Yonkers Police will be protecting attendees and residents throughout the festival and providing additional patrol in the local area until the next morning.
The McLean Avenue Merchants Association and the Fall Festival are a great celebration of the spirit and great atmosphere of the neighborhood. It was 20 years ago this September, when St. Barnabas Parish started hosting their block party counting down to their 100th anniversary on the corner of McLean Avenue and E 241 Street. The success and the attendance of the festival highlighted the possibility of something greater. During the Great Recession of the late 2000’s, businesses across Yonkers were struggling, and the local business community on McLean Avenue knew they had to work together. In 2011 the McLean Avenue Merchants Association was founded as a solution and immediately became a success with the first ever Fall Festival. The success of the Merchants brought the historic Yonkers St. Patrick’s Day Parade to their street permanently, and McLean Avenue was once again a main destination for visitors to Yonkers. Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of McLean Avenue’s merchants faced the challenges of heavy restrictions and shutdowns but made the most of a bad situation when McLean Avenue attracted visitors from across the NYC area as commerce slowly re-opened. In 2022, Mayor Mike Spano said in his Fall Festival ribbon-cutting address that “this is the final piece of restoring Yonkers back to normal after the pandemic.” In 2024, the Fall Festival aims to be bigger than ever.
All interested attendees and vendors are encouraged to keep up to date with all information on the Fall Festival on meetmeonmclean.com. Any businesses and/or organizations outside of the avenue that want to reserve a stand, and sell their products and services, are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. Meet Me on McLean!
