2026 Porchfest organizers seek musicians, porches
- Published: April 16, 2026
YS Porchfest will return this fall, with organizers announcing that applications are now open for musicians, porch hosts and sponsors as planning begins for the villagewide music event.
The annual festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 19, once again transforming porches, patios, backyards and other neighborhood spaces into stages for a day of free, live performances across the village. Applications are available online at http://www.ysporchfest.com for those interested in participating.
Now entering its second year back after a one-year hiatus, Porchfest organizers told the News last week that the focus for 2026 is on refining the elements of the beloved event that already work as it continues to take shape.
“We’re still establishing this program,” Porchfest coordinator David Seitz said. “But there is a sense that people like it the way it is — the formula is right.”
Yellow Springs’ annual Porchfest transforms the town’s patios and porches into a de facto villagewide venue. Above, Mojo Power drew a large crowd in 2019 along the bike path on President Street as the event wound down in the evening. (Submitted photo by Nick Deys)
Porchfest, a national movement whose local arm was co-founded by Brittany Baum and Rachel Price in 2018, was previously run entirely by a small group of volunteers. The local Porchfest went on hiatus in 2024 after that group could no longer sustain the event, and went looking for a nonprofit agency to shepherd it into the future. Porchfest returned last year under the umbrella of the YS Arts Council.
Via email this week, YSAC President Valerie Blackwell-Truitt said the organization viewed taking on the festival as an extension of its broader work supporting the arts in the village, incorporating Porchfest into its ongoing community arts programming.
“We were honored to be asked to consider being the new home of YS PorchFest,” she said. “Given the success of YSAC’s YS Porchfest 2025, we are happy to continue this meaningful, joyous event.”
Though Porchfest remains largely powered by volunteers, a grant from the YS Community Foundation enabled the YS Arts Council to hire Seitz as coordinator, which YSAC Treasurer Sean Devine said helped clinch the event’s revival.
“The paid position is essential,” he said. “We wouldn’t have had Porchfest last year without all the work David did.”
Guitarist Mark Babb performed at the Mills Park Hotel during Porchfest in 2018.
Devine added that the organization viewed last year’s Porchfest as a success and made a deliberate decision to keep it running.
“Part of the motivation is [the YSAC wants] to stay relevant in the community, and one way to do that is by having a present, recurring event that recenters the community,” he said. “Porchfest is still a community-based event — it’s not a commercial endeavor — and the town can use more of those.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Seitz and the volunteer crew, almost all of whom are returning from last year’s event to work this year; they said last year’s event reaffirmed Porchfest’s place in the community.
“Anytime I bring up Porchfest anywhere, people will say it’s their favorite day of the year in Yellow Springs,” Seitz said.
DOCTOR MEAT from the 2025 YS Porchfest. (Photo by Reily Dixon)
“It was one of my favorite days last year, too,” added returning volunteer Margi Gay, who also served as a porch host for multiple bands. “I had so much fun.”
Attendance across the village varied by location last year, but Seitz said some venues drew more than 100 attendees, and post-event surveys reported that no host porch had crowds smaller than 10. The event’s format encourages attendees to move from porch to porch, which Seitz said can muddle the numbers a bit, but overall creates a fluid sense of participation.
“People come and then they go,” he said. “They come in and out; everywhere I went, people were smiling.”
YS Chamber of Commerce Director Phillip O’Rourke called Porchfest “one of the most connective events” in the village, and said that while downtown businesses saw increased foot traffic, Porchfest’s come-and-go nature means those visiting from out-of-town often get the chance to see more of Yellow Springs than Xenia Avenue and Dayton Street.
Local rock-and-roll outfit Dreadful Rumor tore up the “stage” at Electroshield on South High Street at the 2023 Porchfest. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
“You get a sense of our love for music, the culture, and you get a tour of all of the community,” he said. “It really shows the value of what our community has to offer when it comes to us just being a destination in and of itself.”
Though Porchfest draws some visitors from outside Yellow Springs, Gay emphasized that the event’s focus remains on fostering local participation and connection.
“We don’t really promote it heavily outside of town,” she said.
Photo by Reilly Dixon
Looking ahead to this year’s event, Seitz said the Porchfest crew is aiming for a more diverse group of musicians — “We want more performers of color on the map,” he said — along with a wider range of performance spaces. Organizers are encouraging hosts to accommodate multiple acts where possible, giving more musicians a chance to play and helping spread performances more evenly across the village.
Seitz said those without traditional porches are still encouraged to participate; last year, performances took place on front steps, in yards and in garages.
“If you’re thinking about hosting, but you’re not sure, you can email us,” he said.
For more information on the upcoming Porchfest, or to apply to participate as a musician, host or sponsor, go to ysporchfest.com. For more information on the YS Arts Council, go to http://www.ysartscouncil.org
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