OW PorchFest (August 24th)

Porchfest events bring local musicians and neighborhoods together to celebrate and create a sense of community. Porchfest started in Ithaca, New York, in 2007. Porchfest came to Old Wethersfield in 2019. This year Old Wethersfield is scheduled to have 35 bands/musicians and over 50 vendors tucked along pockets on Main Street on August 24th!

Porchfest music festivals began as a means for neighbors and local community members to highlight their music on front porches. The concept was to find musicians and porches on which they would play. 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” at their designated times and perform for the public. Signs with artists’ names and performance times are usually posted in front of venues and online.

Because these are normally neighborhood events, people walk, ride bikes or scooters, drive golf carts, or push strollers as they move from one venue to another.

During Old Wethersfield’s Porchfest, Main Street is closed to thru vehicular traffic from 9am-5pm (Hartford Ave. to Garden Street), as the streets are full of families, friends, and music.