Porchfests are annual music events held across the United States and in Canada on front porches. Started in Ithaca, New York, in 2007, porchfest events bring local musicians and neighborhoods together to celebrate and create a sense of community.[citation needed]

Fans Enjoying Franklin (Westhaven), Tennessee Porchfest

Porchfest music festivals began as a means for neighbors and local community members to highlight their music on front porches.[1] The concept was to find musicians and porches on which they would play. The original event in Ithaca, New York, started with about 20 musicians but has since grown to over 100.[2]

Bands, singers, and instrumentalists participate in the festival for no other reason than to showcase their talents and engage the community. Music is diverse and can range from country to pop, classical, reggae, blues, rock, jazz, Latino, R&B, folk and many others. Musicians voluntarily take to the "stage" on porches at their designated times and perform for the public. Signs with artists' names and performance times are usually posted in front of porches and online.

Music group performing at Franklin (Westhaven) Tennessee Porchfest celebration.

Volunteers and other organizations normally facilitate the event by selecting appropriate dates, acquiring musicians, and publicizing the event. Local residents volunteer their porches as a way to support the local music scene and interact with their neighbors. Events can last from a few hours to most of the day. Schedules and maps are usually posted online or in local media.[3]

Because these are normally neighborhood events people walk, ride bikes or scooters, drive golf carts, or push strollers as they move from one porch to another along a determined route to partake in the festivities. Children often build lemonade stands to help quench thirst on hot days while vendors oftentimes provide ice cream, hot dogs, and other snacks. A few porchfests have expanded to include arts festivals as well.

List of porchfests

edit

These annual events can now be found being celebrated across the United States and Canada. This is a partial list of municipalities where Porchfests have taken place.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ Porchfest Starts A Conversation In A Salt Lake City Neighborhood . Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  2. ^ Porchfest website. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Napa’s Porches To Rock Sunday . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  4. ^ "More Porchfests Around North America!". Ithaca, NY Porchfest. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  5. ^ "TowerPorchFest". towerporchfest.org. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  6. ^ "Modesto Porchfest". Modesto Porchfest. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  7. ^ "Sacramento Porchfest". Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  8. ^ "Historic Athens Porchfest".
  9. ^ "Virginia Highland District Porchfest". Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "Oakhurst Porchfest". oakhurst-porchfest. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "Oakhurst Porchfest returns on Oct. 12". Decaturish, Decatur, GA. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  12. ^ "Indianola PorchFest". www.indianolaiowa.gov. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  13. ^ https://medford.porchfest.info/
  14. ^ Berger, Ava (May 30, 2024). "Porchfests coming to Massachusetts this summer and next fall". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Wakefield Porchfest – Official Website. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Downtown Flint [dead link]
  17. ^ "** Buffalo Porchfest **". buffaloporchfest.org. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  18. ^ Porchfest website. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  19. ^ "The Roxbury Arts Group". February 17, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  20. ^ "Larchmere PorchFest is a Free Music Festival in Cleveland on June 24th". larchmereporchfest.org. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "West Bayfront PorchFest 2023". www.erienewsnow.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  22. ^ Hojsak, Sarah (March 9, 2018). "West Philly Porchfest returns for a third year this June". The Key. WXPN. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  23. ^ "West Chester Porchfest". West Chester Porchfest. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Alta Vista and Beacon Hill Neighborhoods Put On PorchFest . Retrieved April 24, 2018
  25. ^ Porchfest Starts A Conversation In A Salt Lake City Neighborhood . Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  26. ^ "Petworth PorchFest". Petworth PorchFest. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  27. ^ "Welcome to Ottawa Porchfest".
  28. ^ "Brunswick PorchFest – Historic Brunswick NPA".
  29. ^ "Hudson Porchfest". hudsonporchfest.ca. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  30. ^ "Porchfest NDG". PORCHFEST NDG. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
edit