A scene from the inaugural Princeton Porchfest in 2022.
Photo by Sameer A. Khan - Fotobuddy
Take a tour of musical talents and community-forward creativity during the third annual Princeton Porchfest, organized by the Arts Council of Princeton with support from Princeton University, on Saturday, April 27, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, in Princeton.
Described on the ACP website as “a walkable music festival where neighbors offer their front porches as DIY concert venues,” the free, rain or shine event spotlights the local entertainment scene in rotating sets showcasing the variety of Princetonian performers across genres—and throughout town.
This year, the ACP has recruited more than 70 musicians to perform at 45-minute intervals on 15 porches. Each location will host a total of five acts throughout the day, except for the ACP building on Witherspoon Street, which wraps up the festivities with a closing concert featuring a final, sixth act from 5:15 to 6 p.m. For more information, see the ACP website at artscouncilofprinceton.org/exhibits-and-events/porchfest.
Melissa Kuscin, ACP’s program and marketing manager and Princeton Porchfest organizer, described the organization’s approach to the 2024 iteration in the following quote:
“It feels like we’ve been doing Porchfest forever, but it’s only our third year! We tweak the map every year to determine the perfect number of porches and their proximity to one another. They have to be close enough to comfortably walk, but not too close that the sound carries! So we’re happy to have added new porches to the mix, along with returning locations that have proved to be good choices. And as always, there are brand-new performers for attendees to check out mixed in with favorites that attendees look forward to seeing each year,” she said.
Porchfest t-shirts are available from the Arts Council for $20.
In its inaugural year, more than 50 performers took to 11 porches; in 2023, that number grew to 18 porches, nearly 100 performers, and about 2,500 attendees, Kuscin confirmed, the latter of whom braved the rainy conditions of the outdoor event in late April.
Porches vary from home stages or veranda venues in proximity to the central business district, as well as Princeton University’s historic Maclean House on Nassau Street and the Palmer Square Green in the heart of downtown.
This year’s list is as follows: Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street; Maclean House, Nassau Street and Elm Drive; Palmer Square Green, 40 Nassau Street; 254 Witherspoon Street; 86 Leigh Avenue; 225 Birch Avenue; 303 Witherspoon Street; 41 Jefferson Road; 107 Moore Street; 30 Chestnut Street; 15 Maple Street; 45 Linden Lane; 48 Aiken Avenue; 84 Murray Place; and 49 Markham Road.
The ACP is also selling Princeton Porchfest t-shirts — exclusively designed for this year’s event — that benefit the independent nonprofit arts center’s community programs for $20 each, with limited quantities available on the ACP’s porch at 102 Witherspoon Street.
To plan ahead for your perfect Porchfest lineup, visit the interactive online map on the ACP website at artscouncilofprinceton.org/porchfest-map.
This year’s porches and the performers scheduled to perform at each are as follows:
49 Markham Road
12 p.m.: Too Cool to Bluff
1 p.m:: Naked Hugs, alternative
2 p.m.: The Natvral, acoustic/singer-songwriter
3 p.m.: Ride or Die, Americana/folk
4 p.m.: The Hive, rock/metal
Arts Council, 102 Witherspoon Street
12 p.m.: Gabby Toledo, Acoustic/Singer-Songwriter
1 p.m.: Westrick Music Academy Princeton Girlchoir & Boychoir Ensembles, Classical
2 p.m.: The Instant Bingo Family Band, Americana/folk
3 p.m.: The Shaxe, classic rock
4 p.m.: Tony & The Trees, blues
5 p.m.: The Prisms, rock/metal
Palmer Square Green
12 p.m.: BTE, classic rock
1 p.m.: The Johnny Woods Band, Americana/folk
2 p.m.: Storytime with Jeff, acoustic/singer-songwriter
3 p.m.: Late to the Show, classic rock
4 p.m.: Get Nice, alternative
107 Moore Street
12 p.m.: Strange Brew, Americana/folk
1 p.m.: Charles Laurita & The Mischief, R&B/soul
2 p.m.: Olivia Eden, Acoustic/Singer-Songwriter
3 p.m.: Starikova, rock/metal
4 p.m.: DeLaVida, world
30 Chestnut Street
12 p.m.: Ragtime Relics, Americana/folk
1 p.m.: Jonathan Kirschner Trio, jazz
2 p.m.: Abbey Danna, acoustic/singer-songwriter
3 p.m.: 93 DCRISTO, hip hop
4 p.m.: Gravity Hill Band, alternative
45 Linden Lane
12 p.m.: Sourland Mountain String Band, bluegrass
1 p.m.: ENTITY, world
2 p.m.: Crooked Mowth, acoustic/singer-songwriter
3 p.m.: Jefferson Berry & the UAC, Americana/folk
4 p.m.: Cherry Blossoms, alternative
48 Aiken Avenue
12 p.m.: Puppy Grease, classic rock
1 p.m.: Beth and Anna, classical
2 p.m.: The Mixxtape, alternative
3 p.m.: Skip Livingston’s Occasional Dixieland Band, jazz
4 p.m.: Ruby West, alternative
84 Murray Place
12 p.m.: Kevin J. James, Americana/folk
1 p.m.: Fono, jazz
2 p.m.: Giant Inflatable Dog, rock/metal
3 p.m.: Joshua Mitchell, R&B/soul
4 p.m.: Close Drive, alternative
225 Birch Avenue
12 p.m.: Shattered Figures, alternative
1 p.m.: Moore Street Old-Time String Band, Americana/folk
2 p.m.: OTC Collective, alternative
3 p.m.: Sunken City Saxophone Quartet, jazz
4 p.m.: Green Knuckle Material, alternative
41 Jefferson Road
12 p.m.: Ecclesia Musician’s Collective, acoustic/singer-songwriter
1 p.m.: Blue Jersey Band, jazz
2 p.m.: Greg McCarvey, acoustic/singer-songwriter
3 p.m.: RPG Jazz Project, jazz
4 p.m.: Manuel Barbará, rock/metal
303 Witherspoon Street
12 p.m.: Circle Round the Sun, Americana/folk
1 p.m.: The Sparks String Quartet, jazz
2 p.m.: TBD
3 p.m.: Isabella Romanello, acoustic/singer-songwriter
4 p.m.: I Think Like Midnight, Alternative
254 Witherspoon Street
12 p.m.: Crown Acoustic, Americana/folk
1 p.m.: New Yacht City, R&B/soul
2 p.m.: TBD
3 p.m.: Helen O’Shea & Friends, Americana/folk
4 p.m.: Fish & Whistle, bluegrass
Maclean House
11:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Princeton University Band
12:05 p.m.: Bletchley Park, alternative
12:45 p.m.: TBD
1:35 p.m.: Marina Mancoridis
2:05 p.m.: Wildcats, acapella
2:10 p.m.: Roaring 20, acapella
2:35 p.m.: Stack Overflow, classic rock
3:35 p.m.: Althea Aguel, alternative/folk
86 Leigh Avenue
12 p.m.: Dan Leyes, Americana/folk
1 p.m.: Jani Dumapit, acoustic/singer-songwriter
2 p.m.: Marilyn’s Kitchen, klezmer
3 p.m.: TB Percussion, alternative
4 p.m.: Robert Ehee, acoustic/singer-songwriter
15 Maple Street
12 p.m.: Octopus Music School, classic rock
1 p.m.: Maria Palmer & Paul Pessutti, acoustic/singer-songwriter
2 p.m.: Chill Brown, R&B/soul
3 p.m.: The Roly-Polys, country
4 p.m.: Bomber Jacket, alternative
Performers at Porchfest 2023. Photo by Denise Applewhite for Princeton University.
Attendees are free to trek by foot, bike, or even scooter to comfortably travel between each of the temporary stages.
The ACP website encourages participants to bring whatever they may need to comfortably enjoy the concerts, such as water, sun protection, portable seating, and more.
If you work up an appetite with all that walking, take a break and fuel up with the many food options available in Princeton. To check out the town’s culinary chops, visit Experience Princeton’s online list of restaurants, cafes, bars, bakeries, and more at experienceprinceton.org/directory-category/food-drink.
According to a Community News Service staff article, the ACP and Princeton University launched Porchfest in April 2022 as a spiritual successor of sorts to “Communiversity,” which the two entities ran jointly and last held in 2019.
Borne from the new standards of the pandemic, the inaugural Princeton Porchfest launched a month of programming through April ARTS and its oversight of initiatives like the Princeton Piano Project, which commissioned local artists to paint seven donated pianos, later placed around town, for people to play.
“April ARTS was our initiative to ramp up arts and culture events in 2022 coming right out of Covid. We created a larger campaign to raise awareness of not only Porchfest, which was a major new endeavor for the ACP, but also to help other area organizations spread the word on their April happenings as we all navigated that challenging time,” Kuscin explained in a quote.
“Another big, exciting reason for the change is that in 2023, we introduced the Princeton Art Bazaar held the very next weekend. This is an arts festival featuring 100 artists and makers, a Triumph Brewing Co. Beer Garden, and open art studios for all ages. These two events capture the best of the best in performing and visual arts,” she added.
Save the date: the Princeton Art Bazaar takes place Saturday, May 4.
This year’s Princeton Art Bazaar takes place on Saturday, May 4, at Paul Robeson Place in downtown Princeton, with a rain date alternatively scheduled for the following day. The ACP expanded its horizons by shifting from a small-scale project influenced by pandemic restrictions to a grand outdoor pop-up market with over 80 vendors.
Similar to how Porchfest provides a literal platform for Princeton musicians to perform, local artists sell their creations in ceramics, wood, prints, textiles, leather, glass, and jewelry, as well as other vintage and self-care goods from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Triumph Brewing Company, which is still in the process of reopening their Princeton location in the former Princeton Post Office in Palmer Square, serves up the best in brews at their beer garden from noon to 4 p.m., while the open studios and art-making are available from 2 to 4 p.m. For a full list of vendors and more information, see the ACP website at artscouncilofprinceton.org/artists/princeton-art-bazaar.
Whether you opt to enjoy a concert experience from the comfort of a neighbor’s home or hunt down something handmade for your own house, the Arts Council of Princeton has you covered.
For a different spin on Porchfest still in the Mercer County area, check out the Bordentown Porchfest—also in its third year—organized by the Kiwanis Club of Bordentown on Saturday, May 4, from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit btownporchfest.org.
