- College Hill Porchfest turns front porches and other spaces in Easton's College Hill neighborhood into improvised stages for local musicians
- In all, 31 stages hosted 56 performances by about 150 local musicians, both professionals and amateurs
- For the fest's finale, the Big Easy Easton Brass led a New Orleans-style second line parade
EASTON, Pa. – Easton's Porchfest Sunday saw 31 front porches and other spaces in the College Hill neighborhood become stages and host 56 performances in all by roughly 150 local musicians. This marked its fifth year.
The performers, amateurs and professional musicians alike, represented a broad range of styles, from blues, folk and jazz to pop-country and several flavors of rock.
Attendees, many with lawn chairs in tow, drifted from porch to porch. On several streets closed to traffic, community groups set up tables.
In Porchfest’s grand finale, the Big Easy Easton Brass led a New Orleans-style second line parade, with revelers following the brass band through the streets.
“This is awesome,” said Charlotte Blamble, from Buck Hill Falls, Pa. “Just to see how many people are here, and how much fun they seem to be having, and open space where people can just enjoy. We saw a big picnic going on at one street.”
“This is great, how the community all comes together and music brings us together,” said Nicole Leotta, a first-time Porchfest attendee from Nazareth. “I just love the camaraderie.”
College Hill resident Ginger Constantin said that this year’s Porchfest brought out a few well-known local acts, like Roi and the Secret People, Acoustic Kitty Project and Blue Jean.
“You kind of get a mix of hearing the new bands, but also maybe seeing something that you've heard of before, which is nice,” she said. “What's going to pull people out is someone that they recognize, and then with that, they're going to pick up on new bands.”
The event traces its history to Ithaca, New York’s first Porchfest in 2007. The College Hill edition first appeared in 2018, and is supported by Lafayette College and nonprofit community group The Village on College Hill.
This year’s fest was initially scheduled for September 24, but was postponed because of persistent rain that weekend.
