Support PorchFest

We are 100% volunteer-run organization and we need support for advertising, supplies, portapotties, etc. so we can make each year's event even better! We appreciate your support!

Buy Gear

Buy a PorchFest Quincy shirt and support our event. Proceeds from shirt sales make this event possible.

Donate Online

You can donate using the button below, PorchFest Quincy is a non-profit 501c3 organization so all donations are 100% tax-deductible.

Donate by Mail

To donate by mail, make checks payable to "PorchFest Quincy" and send it to PorchFest Quincy C/O: Walter Hubley, 44 Marion St, Quincy, MA 02170

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is PorchFest Quincy?

PorchFest Quincy will be held in the Wollaston Hill, Squantum, and Merrymount neighborhoods.

How were these PorchFest Neighborhoods chosen?

Neighborhoods were chosen where we found the most interest when we started. Our mission is to bring people together to build community through the shared experience of music. PorchFest is designed to allow people to walk around in a contiguous area where they can enjoy multiple performers throughout the day and meet new people.

When Ian and Wally originally launched PorchFest Quincy in 2016, they intended to do so in their neighborhood on Wollaston Hill. Little did they know the event would bring so much interest from around the city, and that a substantial number of homes in Squantum and Merrymount would volunteer and later be added to the event.

Can you bring PorchFest to my Neighborhood?

Honestly? It depends.

It is very important to us that our volunteer bands, who donate their time and talent, have a good audience. By keeping the performances close together, the bands have larger audiences enjoying their music, and attendees can more easily walk and enjoy the music.

If we expand the event, we need to be sure that there are enough hosts interested in any given neighborhood AND that we have enough additional bands to match with all of our gracious hosts. Unfortunately, based on prior experience, we learned that one-offs or a small number of hosts and bands in any area do not work for the continuity of the event.

How do I volunteer my band to play at PorchFest?

We generally open registrations through this website on April 1st. Please sign-up to our email list (above), follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in touch and be notified about registrations. We will create the schedule and assign bands to your porch if it is in our festival neighborhoods.

Can bands from outside of Quincy perform at PorchFest Quincy?

Absolutely! Bands from all over perform at PorchFest Quincy and we encourage everyone to join us.

How do I volunteer my porch to host a band?

We generally open and accept registrations through this website on April 1st. Please sign-up to our email list (above), follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in touch and be notified about registrations. We will create the schedule and assign you to a porch in our festival neighborhoods.

How do I volunteer my band to play on my own porch?

Register your band through our website (above) and provide your address in the “preferred porch” field on the registration form. Please also let us know in the comments that your preferred porch is your own porch.

Please note that 1) the PorchFest team still needs to coordinate your performance time to make sure it does not conflict with other nearby performances, and 2) if your porch is not located within the festival area we would be happy to host your band at one of our festival hosts.

When is PorchFest?

We publish the date and time of PorchFest each year at the top of this website, and via email and social media. Please sign-up to our email list (above), follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay in touch and be notified about PorchFest. The date can vary but we generally plan for the last Saturday in June, though the pandemic has changed our plans a few times.

Eating and drinking?

You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages, but public alcohol laws still apply during PorchFest. Also, please remember that each venue is someone's home, so please be sure to clean up after yourself.

We plan to have some food trucks - stay tuned! 

Beer and Wine?  

PorchFest does not have an officially contained festival area. The entire event takes place in individually owned yards and the public streets in between.  When in public, you are subject to the usual laws regarding alcohol consumption. 

Is there a hashtag?  Social Media?

Please post your photos and videos using this hashtag: #porchfestquincy    

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PorchFestQuincy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/porchfestquincy

Twitter:  @PorchFestQuincy  

Will there be bathrooms?

We are arranging for a few Porta-Potties - please see the map when the schedule is released on June 20th.  PorchFest locations are neighbors’ homes, and they will not provide any facilities.

Is there a rain date?

There is no rain date.  We are from New England.

Are you closing the streets during this festival?

There will be a few street closures, but for the most part, the streets are open to both drivers and pedestrians.  If you must drive near the PorchFest performance locations, please use caution and drive slowly. Any neighborhood that would like to apply for a permit to close streets during PorchFest may, of course, do so on their own. The application for a block party permit can be found here.

Are dogs allowed?

Different homeowners will likely have different preferences when it comes to dogs on their property, so please be aware of and sensitive to that.  In public spaces, the rules are the same as they'd be any other time. You can learn more about the City of Quincy Animal Control ordinances here.

I registered my band and/or porch. What happens next?

The final performance schedule is generally published a few days before the event. Here is our timeline until then:

• Now - June 10th - Registration for porch hosts and bands.

• A few weeks after you register, we will start arranging the schedule. It takes a lot of work.

• Then we begin introducing porch hosts and bands via email, text, and phone calls. Contact information is exchanged so you can make arrangements. 

• June 1st - 13th - Final coordination with porch hosts and bands.

• June 23rd - Yard signs are installed at each porch host location.

• June 26th - Performance Schedule is published on our website.

• June 29th - PorchFest!

News

 Thank you to our supporters!