September 27, 2023

RoxYunk Porchfest, the free music festival held on stoops in Roxborough and Manayunk, returns in October

Nearly 100 bands and musicians have signed up to perform outside of homes in the Philly neighborhoods

By Maggie Mancini
PhillyVoice Staff

Provided Image/RoxYunk Porchfest

RoxYunk Porchfest returns Saturday, Oct. 14 from noon to 6 p.m. Nearly 100 acts are slated to play on stoops in Roxborough and Manayunk. Pictured above is a 2022 performance by Pawnshop Roses in Wissahickon.

Next month, Philadelphians can wander through the neighborhoods of Roxborough and Manayunk and listen to a variety of live music being played outside.

The area's second RoxYunk Porchfest returns Saturday, Oct. 14 from noon to 6 p.m. (The rain date is Oct. 15.) Bands and solo acts will perform on the porches and in the yards of homeowners who donate their spaces for the free event.

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About 95 acts have signed up to participate thus far. They will play throughout the neighborhoods, though most shows will take place on streets between Ridge and Henry avenues in Roxborough and between Levering and Cotton streets in Manayunk, according to Mose Richards, a sound engineer and organizer of the event.

Music from all genres will be represented, including punk, metal, hip-hop and folk. Some bands will play 30-minute sets while others are planning longer, more elaborate performances. The event will continue into the night as organizers bring performers to Fat Lady Brewing from 7 p.m. to midnight.

RoxYunk Porchfest takes its influence, in part, from West Philly, which has hosted a similar event every year (except 2020) since 2016. West Philly Porchfest was organized by five neighborhood residents after they attended a Porchfest in Boston. Porchfest also has an iteration in Ithaca, New York, where the event was first hosted in 2007.

Musicians and residents who want to participate in this year's event can email the organizers, though location preference is given to performers who signed up before Sept. 15. Maps and a list of performers will be added to the event's website at the beginning of October.