A PorchFest is a grassroots community music and arts festival where neighbors open up their porches to host live performances. Attendees stroll from porch to porch, enjoying a variety of music, art, and cultural experiences while connecting with neighbors in an open, family-friendly setting. What makes a PorchFest unique is its accessibility, inclusivity and celebration of local talent—creating a festival that belongs to the whole community.
Residents from the Highland Park historic district between Houston and Murray streets have gotten over 30 bands to perform at 14 porches that day from 12-6 p.m. Bands will also be at The Source, and an after party is set at 1852 Brewery from 5-8 p.m. Food trucks will be at some locations.
The time was right for this kind of event, according to Andrew Kenefick, founder of Grace Note Music Studio, one of the sponsors.
“Our idea for Visalia PorchFest was born from a group of Highland Park neighbors who wanted to highlight our incredible local creativity. Our vision was to create something that not only showcases local talent but also strengthens neighborhood bonds and creates a sense of pride in the community.”
The group put out a call to artists in September and got a big response.
“All of them are local or from surrounding counties. Many are seasoned bands and performers of the regular late-night music scene here in Visalia, Tulare and Fresno,” Kenefick said.
For example, Fugaz is a Spanish psychedelic rock group inspired by cumbia,
garage rock and surf music. The St. John’s Riverboat Jazz Band specializes in jazz
and Dixieland. Singer-songwriter Ben Went West can be compared to 1960s Bob Dylan.
An eclectic group, Greasy Dashiki, calls itself the ultimate contradiction between hippie and hipster. For the Record is a ska group. Some bands play multiple genres, mixing rock, folk, Americana and bluegrass.
“You get the picture; there’s something for everyone. The cool thing is, if you don’t like one band at one porch, you’re just a few steps away from another porch with a completely different vibe!”
The after party at 1852 Brewery will feature Fresno rockers Strange Vine, Visalia locals Bigfoot and the Moon, as well as dance music from DJ Vantaboard.
“Everyone is psyched to see Strange Vine,” said Kenefick. “They’ve been a big name in this area for years, and they’re hot off a recent tour between Texas and California. They’ve got this soulful, psychedelic, rootsy blues rock vibe that’s unlike anyone else.”
The event is free, but donations are welcome. Any profits will be directed towards the purchase of musical and other artistic instruments for local school children.
The group hopes to make PorchFest an annual event, adding more porch hosts, food vendors and artists next year.
The entire schedule and map are available at www.visaliaporchfest.com or on Instagram.