Historic Athens Porchfest returns this Sunday throughout seven historic Athens neighborhoods.
Miller Rich
Oct. 15, 2023
Attendees of a previous Porchfest watch a performance at the Historic Athens Old Fire Hall No. 2. The Fire Hall is in the historic Cobbham neighborhood where Cassie Chantel is set to play at 5 p.m. Oct. 15. (Photo Courtesy/ Historic Athens)
Historic Athens Porchfest is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, from noon to 8 p.m. with over 200 performers set to play on porches throughout seven historic Athens neighborhoods.
The bands begin at 1 p.m. and the last band is scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Porchfest hosts local musicians and is free to attend.
The neighborhoods include, Boulevard, Buena Vista Heights, Cobbham, Newtown, Normaltown, Reese-Hancock and Pulaski Heights neighborhoods. All of which are next to each other and within walking distance.
There are many different genres being played throughout the day including, rock, indie rock, country, bluegrass, hip-hop, jazz, punk rock and R&B.
Porchfest is organized by Historic Athens, a non-profit whose goal is to spread appreciation and awareness of the value of historic sites and heritage in Athens.
“Every hour about 40 porches open and every hour about 40 porches close, and it just rotates throughout the day,” said Tommy Valentine, the executive director of Historic Athens, who oversees the planning of Porchfest.
Porchfest has allowed new artists to perform their first show due to how many porch owners that volunteered their porches, Valentine said.
“It just brings out the whole community,” said Iain Cooke, leader of the jazz band, Swing Theory. “Like, it’s really just kind of like AthFest, but it’s free.”
“Everyone’s invited. And I like how there’s so many options. Like there’s no way you can see everything,” Cooke said.
Cooke performed at Porchfest last year and is set to play this year with the band, Marie Marie at 1 p.m. and with Cassie Chantel at 5 p.m.
Porchfest is more family oriented and feels like it’s for everyone, compared to regular venues, Cooke said.
The Historic Athens website has an interactive map to see performance locations and their schedules. They also have a list of the performers with their locations and times.
Why I Wrote the Story:
I wrote this story about the Historic Athens Porchfest because it is a major event for local music in the community. I wanted to write the event preview so people know what, when and where it is. I learned how to report useful interesting information and find sources for interviews on the spot.