11 Porches To Host 56 Bands During Princeton Porchfest Saturday

PRINCETON, NJ — The inaugural edition of Princeton Porchfest is shaping up to be the most anticipated event of the spring. With close to 60 bands playing on 11 neighborhood porches, attendance is expected to be high.

Princeton Porchfest is the biggest highlight of the April ARTS Festival by the Arts Council of Princeton. Inaugurated on April 1, the festival has drawn huge crowds and organizers hope to end on a high note.

“We came up with this idea for a Porchfest, which isn't original. It originated out of Ithaca, New York in 2008. And has been going on for about six years in Asbury Park and also happens in Lambertville,” said Adam Welch, Executive Director, Arts Council of Princeton.

The Arts Council began planning the Porchfest in December and met with festival organizer in Asbury Park. In January they sent a call out to musicians and residents who would like to host. And the response was overwhelming.

“Around 90 bands applied. And 38 residents including the mayor and two council members offered their porches for the festival. Even members of the first aid squad offered their porches,” Welch said.

Each of the 11 porches were selected based on accessibility, and walking distance. “Our biggest goal was to try to get the most number of people to attend the most number of porches. We wanted porches that are close enough to walk, but not close enough to hear musicians playing nearby,” Welch said. The organizers also met with the police and traffic department to discuss safety, street crossing etc.

Each porch will host five bands, playing a 45-minute set. At 185 Nassau Street, 10 performers will play a 20-minute set each. The final performance of the day will be at the Arts Council. Attendees can stroll from house to house, and all they need to bring is their lawn chair.

Welch is all praise for the council, municipality and Princeton University for their support. “The university, community, municipality, mayor, and Council have been so supportive of our endeavors,” Welch said.

And if everything goes well this year, the festival may become a regular feature, said Welch. “It’s a great self-population activity that will see people from different backgrounds and neighborhoods come together to enjoy fellowship and music. I think the Porchfest model is a positive one,” he said.

Music begins at 12 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m. with a final performance at the Arts Council.

Here’s a lineup of bands and the location of the porches:

102 Witherspoon Street

• 12 p.m. Jackson Pines
• 1 p.m. Westrick Music Academy
• 2 p.m. Student Strings
• 3 p.m.Instant Bingo
• 4 p.m.The Shaxe
• 5:15 closing concert! Owen Lake & the Tragic Loves

54 Leigh Avenue

• 12 p.m. Lindsay Jordan and the Gypsies
• 1 p.m.Kurt Tazelaar
• 2 p.m.Mimosa Watusi
• 3 p.m. Sawmill Run Old Time String Band
• 4 p.m. TBD

230 Birch Avenue

• 12 p.m. Swansun
• 1 p.m. Love? Said the Commander
• 2 p.m. 93DCRISTO
• 3 p.m. Notch Phoenix
• 4 p.m. Eastern Function

2 Mt. Lucas Road

• 12 p.m. Full Code
• 1 p.m. Valendina
• 2 p.m. FUNGKSHUI
• 3 p.m. Ophelia’s Lover
• 4 p.m.Lemon Glaze Band

300 Witherspoon Street

• 12 p.m. Steven Georges
• 1 p.m. Dscry
• 2 p.m. Princeton High School Around 8
• 3 p.m. Burne Holiday
• 4 p.m. Chris Dela Cruz

71 Wiggins Street

• 12 p.m. toth
• 1 p.m. CircleRoundtheSun
• 2 p.m. Blue Jersey Band
• 3 p.m. Maria Palmer
• 4 p.m. Paul Pessutti

185 Nassau Street

• 11:50 p.m. Princeton University Band
• 12:05 p.m. Princeton Pianists Ensemble
• 12:35 p.m. Anson Jones
• 1:10 p.m. Wildcats A Capella
• 1:35 p.m. Hot Jupiter
• 2:25 p.m. Josh Davidoff
• 3 p.m. Grecia & Thomas
• 3:20 p.m. Princeton Tora Taiko
• 3:35 p.m. DG The Artist
• 4:20 p.m.J Paris

11 Willow Street

• 12 p.m. Cousin Oven
• 1 p.m. Anker
• 2 p.m. Gabby Toledo
• 3 p.m. Greg McGarvey
• 4 p.m. Kaneb Andrews

15 Maple Street

• 12 p.m. The Beagles with Olive Joseph
• 1 p.m. Steve (the Band)
• 2 p.m. Veronica Ota
• 3 p.m. Chad McLoughlin
• 4 p.m. Sober Tuesday

45 Linden Lane

• 12 p.m. Sourland String Band
• 1 p.m. Grant Peterson
• 2 p.m. Fiona Tyndall & Friends
• 3 p.m. Dan Kassel
• 4 p.m. Chase Gray

30 Murray Place

• 12 p.m. Alfredo Carmona
• 1 p.m. Lauren Marsh
• 2 p.m. The RPG Project
• 3 p.m. Drew Turock
• 4 p.m.The Ragtime Relics

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