Pedestrians and bikers filled the streets of six historic Athens neighborhoods on Sunday to support local artists at the fourth annual Historic Athens Porchfest, presented by Cafe Racer Coffee + Donuts. The sunny fall afternoon saw 158 performances on over 150 porches: the biggest Historic Athens Porchfest to date. An estimated 13,000 people attended.
Historic Athens Porchfest was created to honor the community heritage of Athens. Local music is one of the defining aspects of Athenian culture, and Historic Athens Porchfest celebrates it on the porches of historic buildings. Using historic homes and businesses as platforms for this event also draws attention to the importance of preservation.
Erica Cates hosted White Rabbit Collective at her Normaltown home. She was thankful for the opportunity to support Historic Athens and up and coming local musicians while getting to connect with her neighbors. When asked about her experience hosting a porch at Historic Athens Porchfest, she said, “Porchfest is the best event in Athens by far. It brings the community together in such a wonderful way! I am excited to host again next year.”
If you found yourself in one of these neighborhoods on Sunday, you were sure to hear a cacophony of music. Performers played a wide range of genres: from Americana, to hip hop, surf rock, and even Celtic folk. There were over 30 concerts per hour. However, the performances were not limited to musicians. Several of the Studio Athens adult performance companies danced at the Chase Park Warehouse Complex on 160 Tracy Street and Town & Gown Players introduced the cast of its musical production Sister Act.
Some attendees opted to use the Historic Athens Porchfest map and lineup to plan their route through the neighborhoods. Others had a "go with the flow" attitude and used the afternoon to discover new artists as they wandered through the festival. “I didn’t really have a plan going into Porchfest, but I stumbled into so many awesome performances,” said Lydia Ebbs, a student at the University of Georgia. “That’s what makes this event so special. Athens is one of the best music towns in the nation, and through Porchfest, you get a front row seat to incredible talent.”
The day concluded with the Mayor’s Show at the Stan Mullins Art Studio, a renovated and redesigned 18th century cottonseed oil refinery. Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz introduced Winterville Mayor Dodd Ferelle and his band the Wintervillians for Historic Athens Porchfest’s final act. During the performance on the lawn, musicians and listeners were surrounded by sculptures created by Stan Mullins.
Historic Athens will host the fifth annual Historic Athens Porchfest, presented by Cafe Racer Coffee + Donuts, on Sunday, October 15, 2023. Historic Athens executive director Tommy Valentines aims to make the fifth Porchfest an even bigger event next year: a daunting challenge, but one he knows the Athens community is ready to take on.
Original source can be found here.
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