Musicfest and the Restoration Want the Same Summer at the Huntington Lighthouse

If the Huntington Harbor Lighthouse has had two summers without Musicfest, what has it been doing with them?

The answer comes down to a calendar problem. The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, or HLPS, can only do construction at the offshore lighthouse "in fair weather conditions which restricts us to the summer and early fall," according to the society's own Musicfest statement. Musicfest needs that same stretch of the year. For two straight seasons, HLPS has given it to the building.

Why the Festival Is On Hold

HLPS first said in February 2025 that it would skip Musicfest that summer. Huntington Matters reported on September 3, 2026 that the pause had covered 2026 as well. When the pause began, HLPS President Pam Setchell put it in terms of resources: "With limited resources at our disposal, we have decided to refocus this year on important construction and renovation projects to ensure the continuation of the Huntington Light for another 113 plus years."

The September 2026 article came about because HLPS wanted to correct what it described as misinformation about the event's future. The society's statement, sent to Huntington Matters by Suzanne Pelisson, is direct:

"HLPS treasures its 15-year history of hosting the amazing Lighthouse Musicfest, the only event of its kind at an offshore, operating lighthouse, and its biggest annual fundraiser, and has hopes to bring it back. The future date for a potential return of the Lighthouse Musicfest has not been decided at this time."

So Musicfest hasn't been canceled, and no return date has been set. The cost of the pause is easy to see. The event the society is holding back is the one that raises the most money. HLPS chose to give up its biggest fundraiser to protect its working season, which tells you how much work was waiting.

What Two Seasons of Work Bought

The TBR News Media announcement of the 2026 tour schedule lists what HLPS finished in 2025 and what it set out to do in 2026. The society's Musicfest page adds the items still on the list.

The windows give the clearest view of how the work gets paid for. The Northport Journal reported in June 2025 that the replacements went in that spring with support from the Gardiner Foundation and a matching private donation. No published source we found gives the grant amount, the donor or the contractors.

Two doors appear in the record. TBR counts a watch deck door among the 2025 work, while the HLPS statement says a new entry door is "scheduled for installation." The sources don't say whether these are the same door, so they're listed separately here.

Even the tour schedule had to work around construction. Huntington Now's June 2026 listing marked the season's first tour, June 28, as "subject to completed construction." At a structure TBR describes as 114 years old, the restoration sets the summer calendar.

Why the Electrical Work Matters

The 2026 list puts an enhanced electrical system first. This spring shows why. On April 18, 2026, Huntington Now reported that the lighthouse's navigation light was out of service. Setchell said the Coast Guard would correct the problem soon and asked boaters to use extra caution. Later TBR coverage describes the lighthouse as an active aid to navigation with a solar-powered LED light. We found no published date for when the April outage was fixed.

The light is the reason the building matters beyond its looks. HLPS describes it as an active aid to navigation marking the entrance to two harbors, relied on by recreational boaters, the fishing community and others. The society says keeping it running so the U.S. Coast Guard can maintain the navigation aids is essential. Read that way, the work list is less a set of cosmetic fixes and more what it takes to keep a working marker at the mouth of Huntington and Lloyd Harbors in service.

A Building That Was Once Slated for Demolition

This isn't the first time the society has chosen the structure over everything else. HLPS was founded in 1985 as Save Huntington's Lighthouse, when the lighthouse was slated for demolition. TBR reports the group has raised about $3.5 million over the four decades since and marked its 40th anniversary in 2025.

Over 40 years, $3.5 million averages out to less than $90,000 a year for an offshore masonry building. That's a rough figure, since fundraising doesn't come in evenly. It still explains why a pause in the biggest yearly fundraiser is a real decision. It also explains why the society has bet so heavily on tours to keep the public coming out while the music is off.

Tours Kept People Coming

That bet has paid off. TBR reports that 2025 was a record year, with nearly 600 visitors brought out to the offshore lighthouse through expanded programs and online booking on a redesigned website. "We saw tremendous enthusiasm from the public last season, with nearly every tour fully booked," Setchell said.

The 2026 season ran on seven Sundays: June 28, July 12, July 26, August 9, August 23, September 13 and September 27. As of today, the HLPS tours page thanks visitors for the 2026 season and asks them to watch for 2027 dates. HLPS's Summer '26 events page had said the society was working on a series of summer sunset tours while it put its committed construction and restoration work first. Even the new programs come second to the work.

Here's how tours have worked, based on the society's own page:

1. Tours leave from the Gold Star Battalion Beach dock at 324 West Shore Road in Huntington.
2. A short boat ride takes you to the lighthouse for a guided visit, a look through the interior and an optional climb up the tower.
3. Each tour lasts about an hour and 15 minutes and runs only if weather and wind allow. On 2026 tour days, departures ran from 11 a.m. to a final boat at 3 p.m.
4. Tickets have been $35 for adults, $30 for seniors 65 and over, and $25 for children ages 5 to 12.
5. Children under five can't go, and everyone needs fully enclosed shoes with flat rubber soles.

The 2027 prices and dates haven't been posted, so the figures above are the 2026 terms. Neither the HLPS tour page nor its booking page lists a boat capacity. Given that nearly every 2025 tour sold out, booking early once dates are announced is the safe move.

What the Off-Season Looks Like

Fall means the working window is closing. HLPS's past-events page currently says only "COMING SOON," and we found no announced fall 2026 or winter event in the sources we reviewed. The society says more new projects will be "announced soon." For residents who want to help, its statement points to HuntingtonLighthouse.org for volunteering, donations and tours.

The question HLPS has to answer each winter is how to split the next summer. The railings, the masonry, the entry door and the electrical work all need the same fair-weather months as a festival on the water. Until the list gets shorter, those months stay with the restoration, and Musicfest's return date stays undecided.

At Deepak Hemrajani, we pay attention to what it takes to keep an older waterfront structure in shape, because buyers along Huntington Bay pay attention too. If you own a home near the harbor and want to know how its upkeep and original details show up in its value, let's talk. Unlock Your Free Home Valuation and #MAKETHATMOVE.