Maplewood Porchfest 2024!


Summer's almost here! Get ready for Maplewood Porchfest 2024!

Save the date for Labor Day, Sunday, Sept 1st; rain date on Monday (9/2).

Signups for bands and porches will be available shortly on our website- as well as all other info about the event.

www.maplewoodporchfest.com


Sign ups for performers and porches are up and running for 2024 Maplewood Porchfest!

http://www.maplewoodporchfest.com/

Scroll down to participate button and click on to get to the sign up links.


Any and all performers are welcome- sign up and you are in! Bands, solo acts, jugglers, spoken word - you name it we'd love to have you be part of the fun. 

If you live in the  Hilton/Lightning Brook neighborhood and have a porch, driveway, stoop or  a front yard of any size you want to use as a venue- sign up! It can be a 1-4 hour commitment, depending on what works for you.



Big Train is looking forward to returning to Porchfest!

People get ready. 


The big weekend is upon us! Porchfest will be taking place this Sunday September 1st Fingers crossed on weather cooperating with us. If there is a postponement due to weather it will be posted here and in other social media locations-the makeup day is the following day Monday September 2nd. There have been a few tweaks and adjustments over the last few days so the final schedule and map will be posted here later today or early this evening. Also other pertinent information will be posted here as well.


Looking forward to Big Train.  I keep missing their bar gigs.


bub said:

Looking forward to Big Train.  I keep missing their bar gigs.

And they miss you.  rolleyes


Don't want to slight any of the other performers but I'm wondering if anyone has thoughts on who is especially worth seeing.   


Sarah Hodd + The Drive are also ready to light it up at Porchfest grin


Is there a reason why it's limited to 4 hours? There are so many performers I want to see, but they're performing at the same time.


jfinnegan said:

Is there a reason why it's limited to 4 hours? There are so many performers I want to see, but they're performing at the same time.

Who are the few at the top of your list?


The concept of Porchfest started years ago in Ithaca, NY, and now Porchfests are happening all over the country.

For more info on our roots, go to our website’s “about” page at https://www.maplewoodporchfest.com/

Because of a dedicated few, including Maplewood's beloved  Jim and Carol Buchanan, we are celebrating our 7th annual event! To keep Jim and Carol in our hearts and part of this event forever, the Honk Parade that kicks off our event @12:30 at Dehart Park will always end at their long-time home on Lexington Ave


Here is the link to the 2024 Maplewood Porchfest schedule

https://www.maplewoodporchfest.com/schedule

There is an interactive map you can use in your phone, as well as printable map and schedule pages.  There will be a few maps posted throughout the neighborhood.


Park the car… walk around… follow your ears…



As you wander the neighborhood to check out our awesome porches and performers, please make sure to stay out of the street unless you see a cone or barricade blocking the street.

Also, please do not park in front of the hosts’ porches. We recommend utilizing the convenient street parking and free municipal parking available on Prospect St & Hilton, Springfield Ave & Yale, and at  Dehart Park 120 Burnett Ave 

The police are around for your protection. If you have concerns, call the Maplewood Police Department

in case of inclement weather the event is postponed till Monday September 2nd. The call will be made around 10:00 Sunday morning whether to postpone or go forward . Look in this thread for any updates

Finally our generous homeowners and performers have really worked hard to make this in a memorable day. Carry around a couple of coins in your pocket to tip the bands or be sure to hit them up on venmo when they post their QR codes. There are also  lemonade stands for charity located throughout the neighborhood. You can get yourself a nice treat and support a good cause. Look on the map/schedule for more details grin


bub said:

folding chairs OK?

yes, lots of people bring them.


Ros- Link to printable schedule isn't working right on the website.

ETA - weird it did load once - but sometimes it loads the map.  

Ah - the "link to" in the "link to schedule" links to the map.  The word "printable" in printable schedule links to the schedule.  But that might be a bit challenging for some to print


jamie said:

Ros- Link to printable schedule isn't working right on the website.

ETA - weird it did load once - but sometimes it loads the map.  

Ah - the "link to" in the "link to schedule" links to the map.  The word "printable" in printable schedule links to the schedule.  But that might be a bit challenging for some to print

Tried printing the printable schedule and the font on the resulting hard copy is much too small too read easily.  Hopefully, there will be maps available on site tomorrow.


Even those of us with age diminished vision are probably better pulling the map up on our phone. Easier to zoom in and make the type bigger. 

A lot of people don't have printers anyway. 


Parking at dehart is better. I split the map into two parts so it’s better to see the locations.


ml1 said:

Even those of us with age diminished vision are probably better pulling the map up on our phone. Easier to zoom in and make the type bigger. 

A lot of people don't have printers anyway. 

Some of us with age-related diminished vision don't have smart phones and some who do don't have the skill to access then use the interactive map  on our phone.  Suggestion for next year, if possible, is to have a map/schedule that is legible on screen without  the need for using a smart phone for magnification. This has not been an issue in prior years.  


If you park at Dehart, walk up Tuscan to Franklin, turn right to Vermont, turn left, turn left on Hilton saunter down Hilton all the way to Indiana …there’s lots of action on Hilton…you probably will put a chair down and sit for a while and enjoy the music. If you’re still feeling like you need to hear more, make a left on Indiana, couple spots there …. Turn left on Franklin , right on prospect , left on Lexington , right on Princeton, when you get to the junction with concord you can see what’s happening around that area…. Or if your legs are giving out go to dehart and relax… might be better to ride a bicycle  cheese


We are postponing Porchfest until tomorrow (Monday) due to the risk of afternoon thunderstorms. This was a tough call as the forecast was shifting back and forth over the last 24 hours, but we feel it is best to postpone in the interests of safety for all Porchfest participants. The schedule for today will stay in effect for tomorrow. If there are any cancellations we will keep you updated by email and on our social media. Thanks for bearing with us as we make this difficult call. Tomorrow’s weather looks brilliant and we look forward to a spectacular day!


Afternoon thunderstorms?  What forecast were you checking out?  Waste of a beautiful afternoon......

won't be around tomorrow,  another year I missed it.


paulserr said:

Afternoon thunderstorms?  What forecast were you checking out?  Waste of a beautiful afternoon......

won't be around tomorrow,  another year I missed it.

There was a chance of thunderstorms, it missed us, it missed you, tomorrow is just fine. Suppose a lightning storm occurred and caused chaos? Musical instruments are outside, what if lightning has hit someone’s dog pooping ???


Bummer. Can't go tomorrow.


This will be my first Porch Fest.


It’s Showtime!

Porchfest kicks off with our honk parade, which meets at DeHart Community Center at Noon and kicks off at 12:30pm. Everyone is welcome! Bring your instrument, or just march!

With the move to today, we’ve had a few schedule changes. Some performer moves to note:

- We’re excited to have Honest Wagner join us! They’ll be playing porch 12 @ 11 Vermont St. from 3-4pm

- We’re also excited for Mike Choi to join us on porch 26 @ 117 Lexington Ave. from 2-3pm

- Lady Lychee has moved to porch 29 @ 778 Prospect St. from 1-2pm (moved from porch 30)

- We also have another lemonade stand for charity at 144 Franklin benefitting Sea Turtle Recovery of NJ

- Unfortunately Adventures in Ozz, Jay Daniels, Hallie K, and The Maybes couldn’t make the rain date. We hope to see them at a future Porchfest!

Please check our digital map and schedule here: https://www.maplewoodporchfest.com/schedule for the latest and greatest!

Don’t like to use your phone? Print your own 8 ½ x 11 map and schedule - look for the pdf links on our website.

Also, flyers with a map, schedule, and lemonade stands for charity listings will be hung up at (or close to) all of our Hilton porches. (Note: these will not reflect the above changes.)

Enjoy the music and the day! Be courteous of our porch hosts - please follow their lead regarding standing/sitting on their property. Many will have canopies and some seating provided, but of course please feel free to bring your own!

And don’t forget to show your appreciation to the performers with a tip via Venmo or “pass the hat”, if available.

P.S. We love to see your pics, so please tag us on social media so we can reshare them or use #maplewoodporchfest, #maplewoodporchfest2024 or #mwpf2024



Was wondering if Big Train was doing two consecutive sets or just one big 2 hour set.  


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