Providence Porchfest Brings Together Music, Community & An App

Photo Courtesy of Providence PorchFest

Ever since its start in 2023, the Providence Porchfest has transformed the city’s East Side neighborhood into a walkable music hotbed. Homeowners host numerous bands and musicians on either their front porch, backyard, or back deck while creating a very unique and free event that’s ideal for all ages and backgrounds. This year’s edition promises to maintain this effect when it returns on May 30 from 12 noon to 6pm. There’s an abundance of performers taking part, and for anyone who is looking to craft an itinerary, they can download an app to use on their phone. This is the first time there will be such a thing available for attendees while making the experience much easier to plan out and keep track of.

Throughout the course of its existence, the organizers of the Providence Porchfest have aimed to improve various aspects of the event while consciously doing so in incremental fashion. The creation of an app to stay on top of the scheduling and know where to go in terms of who is performing where is a monumental step in this process.

“As this is the fourth year, our vision has been to continuously improve the attendee experience,” Providence Porchfest co-founder Peter Evangelista says. “We have tried to maintain growth at a minimal amount, around 10% over last year, out of a concern that growing too fast and too big will derail what started as a small community event. This year, there will be just over 200 acts performing at 100 locations around the East Side. Unfortunately, we still had a waiting list of nearly 100 artists who wanted to participate but did not have a porch. The beauty of Providence Porchfest is that the lineups are developed by local residents who are hosting.”

“They are ones reaching out to musicians and curating their own line up for their porch,” he adds. “As is the nature of these types of events, this decentralized approach ensures that there always will be music for everyone, you just have to find it! Last year, we had a very generous donor earmark a contribution toward developing an app, and because of this technology, attendees will have an easier time finding their favorite bands, music genre and the locations of the porches. Additionally, the app allows for push notifications, so in case of an emergency or sudden change of weather, we now have a better means to communicate. Running an event like this does not come with a handbook, much of our decision making is the result of our committee talking through the pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, and trial and error.”

“Luckily, our committee is made up of music loving, community minded folks who are willing to put in the time to create one day of free music that everyone can share and enjoy!”

Among the hundreds of performers Evangelista mentioned, those include the likes of Undertow Brass Band, The Quahogs, Ryan Lee Crosby, the Rhode Island Gay Men’s Chorus, Mark Cutler, Ike Dee, Ferns & Fiddleheads, and Chris Monti. If you don’t have the app yet, check out the entire schedule via the Providence Porchfest’s website. It’s a stellar way to spend a Saturday afternoon in a very quaint and positive atmosphere.

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