200-plus musicians. One afternoon. Your one-stop breakdown of Fresno’s Tower Porchfest

Joshua Tehee
·5 min read

Over the course of the past three years, Tower Porchfest has become, by the numbers, the single largest showcase of musical talent in Fresno.

It debuted in 2021 as a foot-in-the-water return to live music at a time when most venues were still in a pandemic-induced hiatus. It was a relatively safe and self-contained community outing: 30 independently curated porch “stages” with more than 45 musicians and DJs performing outside, in the spring air.

Last year, the number of shows nearly doubled.

This year, Porchfest returns on Saturday with more than 60 porches and more than 200 participating musicians, performers and DJs.

What is a Porchfest?

The original Porchfest started in Ithaca, New York, in 2007 as a kind of community-building exercise, inspired by “some outdoor ukulele playing and a conversation between neighbors.” The idea was to create a low-key musical celebration that was free and very much grass roots in its planning and execution.

There are now 170 Porchfests across the United States, including several well-known examples in California.

Napa has one of the longest running Porchfests. It started in 2011 and happens in July throughout the area near Fuller Park in Old Town.

Modesto has had its Porchfest since 2017.

So, who’s playing, where and when?

In Fresno, organizers have coordinated on the branding and promotions, but other than setting a rough geographic area (bounded by Blackstone and Fruit, Shields and Belmont) have been hands-off in determining which porches or musicians can take part in the festival.

This means, the lineups at each porch vary vastly in terms of style and logistics. Some have bands slotted hourly throughout the festival’s full run. Others have just one or two performers playing longer sets throughout the day.

All are listed on the Tower Porchfest website, with lineups and set times, which is helpful for those looking to see specific bands or to hop from place to place. It can also be a bit much, especially for those without much knowledge of the neighborhood and/or music scene.

Here are a few porches to look for. This is nowhere near a comprehensive list and event goers will have to spend some time on the website (or visit the Facebook event page) to get a full sense of all the bands that are performing.

  • Numbskull/Fresno Music Industry Meetup Porch — The team behind the Tower Theater’s new management is presenting one of this year’s “sponsored” porches, at 829 E Hedges Ave. It’s an impressive lineup of bands and DJs that includes local shoegaze legends Sleepover Disaster and Great Northern (playing a rare Fresno show in advance of an opening slot with Smashing Pumpkins next month). Also on the bill are Go in Grace, Judah, Puppet and Tower Rats along with DJs Abraxas Diety and Jackie Bootstraps.

  • Spanspek Porch — From the guys who ran Orosi’s Spanspek Music and Arts Festival for a dozen years. The lineup includes Bigfoot and the Moon, Tom Dream’s Journal, Awahnichi and the Talking Ghosts, the Downwinders and Macondo. Music starts at at 3 p.m. 824 E Floradora Ave.

  • 1335 House — Curated by Fresno promoter Zodiac Shows, 1335 E. Olive Ave. is the ska/punk/pop punk/hardcore porch Of particular note here is the ska band Belmont Sound System, which is slotted for 4:05 p.m. and will perform the entire debut album of the British two-tone band The Specials. Music starts at noon.

  • Porchella — A line-up of local heavy hitters including Richie Blue Band, Kings of Blackstone, Chris Driver Band, Ghost Road and the Majestics. Music starts at 1 p.m. at 722 E. Peralta Way.

  • The official after parties — There are two official Tower Porchfest after parties, for those looking for a more traditional night-at-the-club outing. Goldstein’s is hosting the indie-rock duo Strangevine along with hip-hop stalwarts 40 Watt Hype starting at 9 p.m. Just across the street, Strummer’s is hosting a long list of DJs and rappers including Augie, Brian Cade, Brohh T, Carl Armada, Cheeks, DJ Kalioner, Fashawn, Hell & U, Kasino Kam, Papa T and Roberto Cobain. The whole thing is hosted by Wutangsy, a guy who has been growing his pop-culture celebrity around town. Show starts at 9 p.m.

Porchfest Do’s and Don’ts

Porchfests are envisioned as neighborhood events. Which means walkable and bike (or roller skate or skateboard) friendly. Those coming from outside the neighborhood should find centralized parking along the Olive Avenue or Van Ness corridors and adventure out from there.

Bring money and tip the bands. The performers aren’t in this particular event for the money, but it never hurts to get paid. Each porch should have a tip bucket available, but you can always Venmo the performers directly. Just ask.

Donations to Porchfest itself can be made online or day of at the event’s info booth on Linden Avenue near Pine. Tower Porchfest merchandise will also be available, with proceeds returning to the organization.

Because Porchfest is happening at people’s homes and in their neighborhoods, be aware of surroundings and don’t obstruct street traffic. Keep to the lawns and sidewalks when possible and don’t leave trash laying around. If you can’t find a trash can, take garbage with you when you leave.

Open consumption of alcohol or drugs is not allowed. Those looking for a drink can hit up any number of bars and restaurants in the Tower. They would love the business.

Bathrooms won’t be available at all porches, but porta potties will be set up around the neighborhoods and area business should be open and available. Bathroom locations can be found at the event’s info booth or marked in yellow on its map online.