Porch Fest | Central Jersey 2023

Car Display!

On behalf of the Arts Council of Princeton, welcome to Porchfest 2023!

Last year’s inaugural Porchfest was a springtime highlight for many Princetonians, a reminder of the true generous spirit of our community. Neighbors opened up their homes and bands volunteered their talent in this town-wide display of collaboration. And now, we’re back to do it all again – even bigger and even better.

DJ!

This year, you can expect more than 90 bands in a vast array of genres to perform at 18 different DIY “venues” around town. What makes Porchfest so special is that the event map will take you beyond our fantastic downtown – perhaps into areas you’ve never explored before. No matter where you start, you’ll always be within walking or biking distance to a variety of stages to visit and talent to enjoy.

Speaking of biking, we’ve partnered with Sustainable Princeton and the Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee to place bike racks all around the event. Enjoy cruising around Porchfest without worrying about where to leave your wheels!

Whether you’re a local, this is your first time

visiting, or you land anywhere in the middle: Porchfest is for you. In addition to the musicians that will provide us with live performances all day long, Princeton is flush with beloved small businesses that would love to see you, too. Our mantra for Porchfest? Come for lunch, enjoy the music, and stay for dinner. Any extra opportunity we have to shine light on the amazing options that abound in town – we’ll take!

We’re incredibly fortunate to work with a community that is so receptive, excited, and encouraging. Between the support of the municipality, our Guardian Angel sponsor Princeton University, and you – our neighbors and friends – Porchfest 2023 is a shining example of what we can achieve when we work together.

Sincerely,

Adam Welch Executive Director Arts Council of Princeton

P.s. As you explore, be sure to tag us in your shots of the day and follow along on Instagram at @artscouncilofprinceton.

609-395-0641 | info@elmsrhc.com | elmsrhc.com

Sounds of live concert music will once again be heard as Porchfest returns to celebrate the arts and community

By Andrew Harrison Sta Writer

This is the second annual Princeton Porchfest organized by the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) that gives residents and visitors the chance to take in musical performances from bands and musicians straight from the front porches of Princeton homes and properties.

The free shows performed during what the Arts Council calls a “walkable music festival” are set for April 29 from 12-6 p.m. Porchfest will culminate April ARTS, a months-long celebration of art, music and the Princeton community.

“Last year’s Porchfest was an astounding success. Part of our strategy last year was come for lunch, listen to the music, stay for dinner,” said Adam Welch, executive director of the ACP. “Our premise behind Porchfest was an opportunity for us to encourage people to come to town, utilize the businesses, shop local, and eat local.”

With counters at each of the 11 porches at the inaugural Porchfest in 2022, the Arts Council calculated that more than 1,500 people had attended Porchfest.

“We thought Porchfest would be welcomed here in Princeton and turns out it was,” Welch said.

This year, Porchfest organizers decided on 18 porches that will be utilized for Porchfest. The ACP has already met with Princeton officials and the Princeton Police Department to go over the map to ensure safety.

With an increase in porch applications, it had become more difficult to map out and create a proximity of porches that flowed for people seeking to view performances at more than one location.

“The reason why it was more difficult is because we had so many more porches in various places. Some are repeat porches, but there are so many new ones,” Welch said. “It is a balance and is not something we take lightly. When looking at the map there are obvious outliers, homes or places that are not close to other porch locations.”

The Arts Council wanted to have at least three porches that were in close proximity that

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Porchfest Staff Picks

Not sure where to start?

Melissa -

My perfect day sounds like a healthy mix of covers and originals. That way, I get to both sing along to what I know and treat myself to something new. To that end, I’m mixing in lots of alternative bands with a few classic rock options, a nod to my guitar-playing dad and the music I loved listening to growing up.

12pm: New Yacht City @ 49 Markham

1pm: Green Knuckle Material @ 19 Linden

2pm: Cherry Blossoms @ 17 Jefferson

3pm: The Natvral @ 225 Birch

4pm: Bomber Jacket @ 45 Linden

5pm: The Shaxe @ 102 Witherspoon (spoiler alert: this is the closing concert, and everyone is invited to join us back at the ACP for some dancey fun)

Maria -

Last year, my date to Porchfest was my Chihuahua Calhoun and we tooled around town on my bike to hear as much different music as we could. I asked him to chime in on our ‘playlist’ this year and this is what we landed on.

12pm: Puppy Grease @ 30 Murray

1pm: Mimosa Watusi @ 254 Witherspoon

2pm: Owen Lake & the Tragic Loves @ 30 Murray

3pm: Dan Kassel @ 17 Jefferson

4pm: Giant Inflatable Dog @ 254 Witherspoon

Liza -

So hard to choose! It seems like an afternoon to try a little bit of everything, but I went in a bit of an alternative direction...

12pm: Loose Panic @ 77 Leigh

1pm: Gabby Toledo @ 150 Jefferson

2pm: Ride or Die @ 19 Linden

3pm: Ruby West @ 150 Jefferson

4pm: Gravity Hill Band @ 19 Linden

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTS COUNCIL OF PRINCETON Princeton Porchfest 2022.

ACP staff members have identified their “perfect Porchfest lineup”. Maybe you’ll enjoy it, too!

POrcH FeSt

102 WITHERSPOON STREET

3pm Princeton Girlchoir & Princeton Boychoir Ensembles (Classical)

4pm Instant Bingo (Alternative)

5:15pm The Shaxe (Rock)

MACLEAN HOUSE

12:30– Princeton University Band

12:45pm

1pm Strawberry Milk (Rock)

2pm Katzenjammers & Wildcats (A Capella)

3pm Plum (Rock)

4pm Two Shot West (Jazz)

PALMER SQUARE GREEN

12pm Vertical Space (Alternative)

1pm The Hive (Rock)

2pm Ragtime Relics (Americana)

120 JOHN STREET

12pm Circle Round the Sun (Americana)

1pm Jani Dumapit (Singer-Songwriter)

2pm Yupanki (Rock)

3pm Barry Bassen (Singer-Songwriter)

4pm King Clark (Alternative)

225 BIRCH AVENUE

12pm Naked Hugs (Alternative)

1pm 93 DCRISTO (Hip Hop)

2pm Infamous Star Boys (Pop)

3pm The Natvral (Rock)

4pm M E (Hip Hop)

77 LEIGH AVENUE

12pm Loose Panic (Singer-Songwriter)

1pm Jackie Schiffer & Sarah Krauss (Jazz)

2pm Jester of No Court (Singer-Songwriter)

3pm Gaia Raga (World)

4pm Lights in the Attic (Rock)

254 WITHERSPOON STREET

12pm RPG Project (Jazz)

1pm Mimosa Watusi (Alternative)

2pm Drew Turock (Singer-Songwriter)

3pm Safer at Nite (Alternative)

4pm Giant Inflatable Dog (Rock)

150 JEFFERSON ROAD

12pm Paper Geese (Rock)

1pm Gabby Toledo Band (Pop)

2pm Blue Jersey Band (Jazz)

3pm Ruby West (Alternative)

4pm Full Code (Rock)

178 MOORE STREET

12pm Tom Florek & Joe Bezek (Singer-Songwriter)

1pm Andrew Koontz (World)

2pm Super Jack (Alternative)

3pm Jacqueline Kerrod (Classical)

4pm Pine Barrens (Singer-Songwriter)

17 JEFFERSON ROAD

12pm Solomon Alber (Jazz)

1pm Fiona Tyndall Trio (World)

2pm Cherry Blossoms (Rock)

3pm Dan Kassel (Classical)

4pm The Sunken City (Singer-Songwriter)

71 WIGGINS STREET

12pm Sawmill Run Old Time String Band (Bluegrass)

1pm Swansun (Rock)

2pm The Princeton Festival (Classical)

3pm Maria Palmer (Singer-Songwriter)

4pm Paul Pessutti (Singer-Songwriter)

11 WILLOW STREET

12pm Greg McGarvey (Singer-Songwriter)

12:45pm Princeton Storytelling Circle

1pm The Moore Street Old-Time String Band (Americana)

1:45pm Princeton Storytelling Circle

2pm Candice Wu & Patrick Irwin (Singer-Songwriter)

3pm Mineko Ogata (Classical)

4pm Blues and Then Some (Blues)

For additional performances by Princeton Storytelling Circle, go ‘round the corner’ to 26 Moore St.

19 CHESTNUT STREET

12pm The FreeBees (Americana)

1pm Loose Bricks (Rock)

2pm Helen O’Shea (Singer-Songwriter)

3pm Jefferson Berry & the UAC (Singer-Songwriter)

4pm Crown Acoustic (Americana)

45 LINDEN LANE

12pm Sourland Mountain String Band (Bluegrass)

1pm Cousin Oven (Alternative)

2pm Stacia Thiel (Singer-Songwriter)

3pm Deskjobs (Rock)

4pm Bomber Jacket (Alternative)

19 LINDEN LANE

12pm Close Drive (Alternative)

1pm Green Knuckle Material (Alternative)

2pm Ride or Die (Americana)

3pm Kevin Haden (Singer-Songwriter)

4pm Gravity Hill Band (Alternative)

30 MURRAY PLACE

12pm Puppy Grease (Americana)

1pm Joshua Mitchell (R&B)

2pm Owen Lake & the Tragic Loves (Country)

3pm Fish & Whistle (Bluegrass)

4pm Burne Holiday (Alternative)

51 AIKEN AVENUE

12pm Archana (Singer-Songwriter)

1pm Skip Livingston’s Occasional Dixieland Band (Americana)

2pm The Butter Trio (Jazz)

3pm Modern Culture (Alternative)

4pm Abbey Danna (Singer-Songwriter)

49 MARKHAM ROAD

12pm New Yacht City (Rock)

1pm Sunken City Saxophone Quartet (Jazz)

2pm Anker (Rock)

3pm Hang Him to the Scales (Alternative)

4pm Steve (the band) (Rock) USE OUR MAP! Plan

Continued from Page 4A

could be easy enough to walk between, but not close enough to hear.

“A block away would not be sufficient, but if it is on the back street a block away that would be sufficient. Safety also comes into play, especially roads that are busy such as Route 206,” Welch said, noting they based their porch selections to close proximities of one another and making sure the porches vibe with one another.

The Arts Council selected the 18 porches out of more than 40 applicants who applied.

Those locations - 102 Witherspoon, Maclean House at Princeton University, Palmer Square, 120 John St., 225 Birch Ave., 77 Leigh Ave, 254 Witherspoon St., 150 Jefferson Road, 178 Moore St., 17 Jefferson Rd., 71 Wiggins, 11 Willow St., 19 Chestnut St., 45 Linden Lane, 19 Linden Lane, 30 Murray Place, 51 Aiken Avenue, and 49 Markham Rd.

“This is an opportunity for neighbors to sit in each other’s yards, talk and reach out over the communication hurdles that social media and other stuff has conveniently helped us to

forget,” Welch said, adding society has somewhat lost the simple “reach across the yard and say hello to the people in our community.”

Welch added that he is excited for porch performances that include locations such as On the Green in Palmer Square, the President’s House at Princeton University [MacLean House] on Nassau Street, on Birch Avenue and Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design firm on Witherspoon Street.

For the day, 108 bands applied to perform for Porchfest.

“The total number of bands we accepted was 87,” Welch said. All the other porches are 12-5 p.m. and the last performers are here at the Arts Council from 5-6 p.m. At the Arts Council we started a little late last year at 5:15 p.m. to allow people to get here from the other porches for one last final show here.”

Each of the 18 porches will have five bands with scheduled performances at each location.

“We are such a musical community. There are so many bands in town,” he said. “There is a need for music and a desire for music.”

The bands will each have a 45-minute set

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with a 15-minute break between sets.

“Last year there were 40-minute sets with a 20-minute break,” Welch said, noting they learned they set the break time for too long. “Twenty minutes was almost too much time to wait around so we narrowed it down to 15 minutes.”

Welch said Porchfest certainly fills a need in the community. It is evident from the increases in people, who applied to offer up their front porches and the musicians who

sought to perform on the porches.

“What we knew from conversations we had with people regarding Communiversity, people wanted to have cultural experiences, artistic experiences, and be able to offer something someone does not have to commit to,” he said.

“We knew [Porchfest] started in Ithaca, New York in 2007 and many towns have taken on this model, so we knew there was an appetite just from how popular it is around the country.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTS COUNCIL OF PRINCETON Princeton Porchfest 2022.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTS COUNCIL OF PRINCETON

Porchfest 2022.