By most accounts, Porchfest has its roots in Ithaca, New York, where residents of the Fall Creek neighborhood realized that they had an abundance of musicians and front porches. Gretchen Hildreth and Lesley Greene started the festival as a way for their neighbors to showcase their musical talents on ready-made “stages.” The concept is very simple – find musicians to play, and find porches for them to play on. The event started small, with about 20 participating musicians and host homes. There was, and still is, no money involved, and very little organization is required. Bands, singers and instrumentalists from a wide variety musical genres participate in the festival for no other reason than to showcase their talents and engage the community. Residents volunteer their porches as a way to support the local music scene and interact with their neighbors.

Westhaven’s Porchfest is very similar. A schedule of assigned timeslots and a map of participating homes will help avoid overlap and allow visitors to customize their Porchfest experience.

One exciting difference between the original Porchfest concept and Westhaven’s event is the addition of an evening concert to wrap up an afternoon of music. After wandering around the neighborhood enjoying intimate performances on porches, residents will make their way to the lakefront for a performance by RAVEN CLIFF. This is sure to be the perfect end to a fun summer day in Westhaven.

Westhaven’s Porchfest hopes to become an annual event that is one day as successful as the original Porchfest in Ithaca.