Moorestown’s first annual Porch Fest – an afternoon of live performances by local musicians at township homes – will be held at noon on Saturday, May 18.
The event is sponsored by local Realtor Ian Thomas, in partnership with the Moorestown Music Collective (MMC), Homegrown Moorestown and the Perkins Center for the Arts Porch Fest is meant for all ages to celebrate the music and unique historic charm of the township, according to the event’s website.
“Logically it’ll be, you’re going to go to a porch for maybe an hour of music approximately, maybe a little bit more, depending on what the acts are, because you’re going to be hopefully moving around two or three times at least during the day,” explained MMC member Mark Hines.
Porch Fest will include a variety of music, with each band performing its own style and lineup. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets, water and sunscreen.
“We’re kind of modeling off of other Porch Fests that have been done, either in Collingswood and Asbury Park or elsewhere in the country,” Thomas noted. “It’s really an independent concert where the homeowner is willing to allow people to sit on their front lawn and enjoy the music that’s being performed.”
Band names are expected to be announced on the event’s website at the end of next month. To sign up for text and email updates, visit https://forms.moorestownporchfest.com/updates.
“It’s very reassuring; so many people have already committed and are excited about it, just by sharing on social media,” said Gretchen Simmerson, co-founder of Homegrown Moorestown. “Just one post even … There’s a lot of excitement … I think Moorestown is just craving all these things, so it’s great that things are happening.”
“I think Porch Fests are always well received,” Thomas observed. “Everybody loves the community aspect, being able to listen to live music and feature up-and-coming local musicians. But I think even then (when the event was announced), it was nice to see some of the comments that we got and just how many.”
The mission of the event this year and going forward is simple: Celebrate and bring the community together with a day of live music while raising money for a township nonprofit.
“A lot of Porch Fests are able to raise a lot of money for nonprofits, so I would love to see each porch fest, each year, benefit a different nonprofit in town, whether it be Perkins, the Moorestown Music Collective – really any nonprofit,” Thomas said.
“The goal of the music collective has been really to make Moorestown more of a music destination and foster musicians and bring people to Moorestown,” Hines offered. “So it’s the same thing here.”
To be a porch host, perform or volunteer for the event, visit www.moorestownporchfest.com.
