How to Navigate Denver's First PorchFest

What if the best seat at a music festival wasn’t in front of a massive stage, but on somebody’s front lawn?

Denver’s first PorchFest is bringing 193 acts to Baker on Oct. 3, turning porches, backyards, parking lots into stages from noon to 7 p.m. Dailey Park and Cookie Factory art space will serve as the festival’s two main hubs, with food, drinks and vendors.

The idea is to make live music easier to experience outside of bars and traditional venues. And apparently, “porch” is more of a suggestion.

The festival is free for patrons, but the musicians aren’t playing for free. Sponsors, fundraising and donations help cover festival expenses and compensate the performers. A suggested $20 donation includes a festival sticker and access to the interactive fest app, while a portion of the proceeds also supports East 7th and its work expanding access to art and music therapy for children with autism.

With 193 acts spread throughout Baker, there’s still one question: How exactly do you PorchFest?

I talked with founder Bradley Schwartz and co-founder Adon Biggs, who also plays bass in local jazz group “Improphets,” to find out. And as a musician myself, I had a few thoughts, too

Step 1: Make a Plan … Just Not Too Much of One

Start with the lineup and pick a few artists you really want to see. Organizers intentionally spread genres like jazz, punk, indie, rock, and hip-hop, throughout the festival. Most of the lineup is from Colorado.

Don’t recognize many names? 2MX2, Zoe Berman, Rob Drabkin, Beasts of No Nation, and Meta and the Barkada are a few acts I’d recommend, depending on what you’re looking for.

Step 2: Leave the Car at Home

Now for the question that can make or break any Denver outing: Where are you going to park?

Well, maybe don’t drive at all.

Consider biking, rideshare or public transportation. Once you’re in Baker, plan on doing plenty of walking between sets. Performances are spread throughout the neighborhood rather than concentrated around one big stage. The idea is to move through Baker and catch something amazing along the way.

It’s less “find your stage and stay there” and more “let’s see what’s happening down this block!”

Step 3: Don’t Rush to the Next Porch

We’re all guilty of this at festivals. The song ends. Applause. Cool. What’s next? Not so fast.

Schwartz kept returning to one word when we talked: connection.

“You might go backstage after playing and, by the time you come back out, everybody has moved on to a different stage,” Schwartz said.

PorchFest shrinks the distance. The musician you just watched might still be standing right in front of you.

If a set catches you, stick around. Ask about the song. Find the artist online. See where they’re playing next. Buy some merch.

Biggs sees that connection as an opportunity for musicians as well.

“Events like PorchFest provide another avenue for musicians coming up in Denver’s scene to be seen,” Biggs said.

Swartz understands the appeal of a smaller setting too. His own band, Five Minutes Out, played a PorchFest in Atlanta, which inspired him to bring the idea to Denver.

“I’d rather see a show with 100 or 200 people than from across an arena,” Schwartz said. “Smaller crowds give you something different: intimacy.”

For an artist, it could mean playing for someone who has never heard of them before walking down that block. This PorchFest could be a musician’s first show or 500th. Either way, you’re getting a chance to meet the people making the music.