Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Somerville PorchFest Draws Crowds in the Rain

Tighter rules plus extra bathrooms kept the growing porch-to-porch music day manageable.

Overview

  • The neighborhood music festival, hosted by the Somerville Arts Council, returned Saturday with more than 530 bands performing on porches, yards, and stoops.
  • Fans walked block to block despite steady showers, with attendees describing the day as a community-focused showcase.
  • Music ran from noon to 6 p.m. in three two-hour blocks that moved from the west to the east side of the city.
  • Organizers used PorchFest ambassadors, while the city barred many main-street porches and required at least eight hours between repeat sets to reduce congestion.
  • Somerville also placed more porta-potties around town to cut bathroom lines, a step the city announced in March.