From Maplewoodstock:
The annual, free, two-day Maplewoodstock Music and Art Festival will take place the weekend of July 12-13, 2025. The Festival kicks off with music at noon and ends around 9:30 PM each night.
Ozomatli from Los Angeles headlines the festival on Sunday night. Boston-based Couch will close out Saturday night, preceded by New York’s The Big Takeover.
These headliners cap two full afternoons of 19 other local/regional bands chosen from over 115 band applications, representing a variety of styles from rock to reggae, R&B to jazz, grunge to Latin, and pop to Americana. The full lineup is at maplewoodstock.com/music.
Ozomatli
Ozomatli has spent 30 years uniting communities through music, earning three GRAMMY® Awards. They continue to inspire and move hearts, minds and dance floors across the globe blending Latin, hip-hop, funk, reggae, and global influences.
Couch injects each project with their signature flavor: expressive horns, warm vocals, and bubbling synths—crafting an oasis of joy for musicians and non-musicians alike.
The Big Takeover plays original music that is rooted in and reverent toward the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, ska.
Long-standing Committee Member Gary Shippy says, “We are excited to offer a terrific line up of music along with local artisans and food. And, we will be offering a few new things to specifically celebrate our 20th festival that has become a summer Maplewood tradition.”
Couch
Committee Member Amy Biasucci adds, “For our 20th festival, we will be introducing the ‘20 Under 20’ Art exhibit, showcasing the art work of 20 local artists under the age of 20.”
Maplewoodstock is a free event held in Memorial Park in a natural grass amphitheater, steps from the Maplewood train station (NJ Transit) and the charming village of Maplewood. In addition to nine hours of music each day, the festival also features approximately 20 food vendors (including vegetarian and vegan offerings), 60 art vendors, 20 Kidzone vendors, and a beer and wine garden (in partnership with SO Elks Lodge #1154).
In addition to being free, Maplewoodstock is committed to being accessible and inclusive for all our attendees. The festival will offer handicapped parking spots, handicapped accessible toilets, a Senior Tent in partnership with SOMA’s Two Towns for All Ages, sign language interpretation staffed by volunteers, and a Sensory Activation Area for those who might need respite from the sights, sounds, and crowds.
Maplewoodstock is produced by Music & Arts Education Project, Inc. (MAEP), a SOMA-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advocating for comprehensive music and arts education for all students, in all grades, across all schools. MAEP is proud to produce Maplewoodstock as its flagship annual event. See more at musicartseducationproject.org.
Maplewoodstock invites the community to join us: to sit with friends and neighbors; to listen and dance to the music; to buy a special item from an arts and crafts vendor; to enjoy lunch or dinner from a food vendor; to wear a Maplewoodstock t-shirt; to meet a new friend in the Beer Garden. The festival is “OF and FOR the community.”
Follow at facebook.com/maplewoodstock and instagram.com/maplewoodstock for continuing updates.
