Historic Athens Porchfest is a grassroots music festival where local musicians perform on porches throughout different Athens neighborhoods. It's a laid-back, community-focused event that showcases local talent and brings neighborhoods together to celebrate music, culture, and community heritage.

Historic Athens Porchfest 2024 is on Sunday, October 20th, with performances spread across 7 historic neighborhoods– Boulevard, Buena Vista Heights, Cobbham, Newtown, Normaltown, Pulaski Heights, and Reese-Hancock. Each area hosts bands on porches, offering attendees a chance to explore different parts of Athens while enjoying live music.

Bands perform at designated times and locations, and attendees can stroll from house to house to catch performances. There’s no central stage; instead, you meander through the neighborhoods, creating a relaxed, community-oriented atmosphere. It’s less of a music festival in the traditional sense and more of a walking tour of live performances.

As always, admission is free! This festival is made possible by the generosity of our hosts, performers, and sponsors. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Cafe Racer, and neighborhood sponsors, Alan Cleveland Personal Injury Lawyer, Athens Cooks, Koons Environmental Design, Cali N Tito’s, Athentic Brewing Company, Arcollab, and Nighthawks.

Some attendees prefer to create a schedule in advance to catch specific bands, while others enjoy wandering and discovering music as they go. We suggest a mix of both approaches to maximize your experience!

To ensure a great day exploring the performances, we recommend wearing comfortable shoes and applying sunscreen. Bringing a foldable chair will add to your comfort while enjoying the music. And don’t forget your favorite koozie or cooler if you plan to bring drinks and snacks! Several local businesses will be open for you to support, along with the Cafe Racer Food Truck located in the Buvez parking lot for food and drinks.

Anyone and everyone! Historic Athens Porchfest is a family-friendly event and open to all, with all types of music so everyone can enjoy the day.

We encourage attendees to use ride-share services like Uber or Lyft, carpool, take Athens Transit, or park on the outskirts of the festival neighborhoods to reach the event. Once there, walking or biking is the best way to experience Historic Athens Porchfest and explore the performances at your own pace. If possible, avoid driving between performances to enhance your enjoyment and minimize traffic.

Additionally, Historic Athens will offer a special trolley service from our friends at Athens Trolley Tours that circulates through each Historic Athens Porchfest neighborhood. The trolley not only helps you get around but also provides historical insights about Athens along the way. Be sure to check the event map or website for trolley routes and stops!

Special thank to Athens Trolley Tours for making the Historic Athens Porchfest 2024 shuttle possible!

The event kicks off at 1 PM, with 209 performances throughout Athens, featuring a vibrant lineup of local musicians across a variety of genres, including country, metal, hip-hop, and more—there truly is something for everyone! All performances are family-friendly.

In addition to music, you'll also enjoy several comedy troupes, dance performances, and other visual arts throughout the day.

To wrap up the event, join us for a special performance at 7 PM featuring Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz and Winterville Mayor Dodd Ferrelle for our Mayor At The Mayor’s Show.

No, we do not close any streets for Historic Athens Porchfest. We're dedicated to sharing public space and ensuring that everyone can enjoy the day safely. For drivers, this means slowing down significantly and being aware of pedestrians, bikes, and crowds that may be on the street. For festival-goers, it means staying alert, using caution, and understanding that sometimes drivers need to pass through. So, relax, step aside when needed—especially for emergency vehicles—and let's all work together. It’s the neighborly thing to do.

It is. We prioritize walking and rolling (including wheelchairs) over motor vehicles in most areas of the event. Historic Athens Porchfest strategically selects neighborhoods with ample and accessible sidewalk space, curb ramps, and protected pedestrian crossings to get you through and around each neighborhoods.

Beyond that, we do everything we can to discourage driving. In addition to reducing traffic around more vulnerable visitors, this also ensures that those who absolutely do have to drive (such as those with disabilities) can find adequate parking in close proximity to where they want to be.

Yes, public restrooms are available, strategically placed throughout the neighborhoods. These locations are marked on the online map. However, not all attendees may be aware of them, so it's a good idea to check the map in advance.

Hosts are not expected to provide access to their private bathrooms, although some may choose to do so at their discretion.

Yes! All Artwork Courtesy Eli Saragoussi, the Official Artist of Historic Athens Porchfest, and all merch is printed by our friends at Satisfactory Design & Print. Select merch will be available to purchase at our Kick-Off Party or the day-of at several locations throughout the event.

You can purchase merch or pick it up your pre-order at our Historic Athens Porchfest Kickoff Party at Athentic Brewing Company on Friday, October 18th, or pick up your pre-order on the day of (October 20th) at the Historic Athens Headquarters (489 Prince Avenue).

All proceeds from merchandise sales support our nonprofit mission, helping us continue to bring events like Porchfest to the community. Plus, don’t miss out on our collaboration beer with Athentic Brewing Company, On The Rails, available for a limited time at their brewery!

Absolutely! We’ve got several exciting events lined up around Historic Athens Porchfest to celebrate all things Athens.

On Friday, October 18th, join us at Athentic Brewing Company for the Historic Athens Porchfest Kick-Off Party. The evening will feature delicious food from Cafe Racer Food Truck, Athens Trivia from 6 to 8 PM, followed by Athens Karaoke starting at 8:15 PM. You can also pick up your pre-sale merch, purchase select merch, and enjoy On The Rails, our collaboration beer with Athentic, available on tap and in cans.

On Saturday, October 19th, Historic Athens One Story will host several Heritage Walks throughout Buena Vista Heights, Cobbham, and Normaltown. These guided tours offer a deeper look into the rich history and significance of these historic areas neighborhoods by experienced locals. To register for the Heritage Walks, visit bit.ly/heritagewalk24

Yes, Historic Athens coordinates with our friends at Boo-le-Bark, and both events have agreed to keep them on the same day for the foreseeable future! This makes for an even more exciting day filled with music, community, and fun.

This year, Boo-le-Bark’s parade will be at 4:30 PM, beginning and ending at the intersection of Boulevard and Barber Street (298 Barber Street). The parade route will go west on Boulevard, south on Lyndon Avenue, east on Dubose Avenue, north on Grady Avenue, and finish by heading east on Boulevard.

With the performances at Historic Athens Porchfest continuing throughout the afternoon, you can enjoy both events without missing out!

This year, SoundCloud has graciously joined Historic Athens Porchfest 2024 as a sponsor, bringing new and exciting features to our event.

In partnership with SoundCloud, we’re excited to offer attendees a SoundCloud Zone featuring free swag bags and insights about local artists located in the Boulevard neighborhood.

In addition, we’re bringing the music from Historic Athens Porchfest 2024 to you via our special SoundCloud Showcase Page! Explore SoundCloud profiles from our talented lineup of local musicians, stream their latest tracks, and share all your favorites HistoricAthens.com/SoundCloud

The Historic Athens Porchfest x Indie South Vendors Market is a special pop-up event featuring a curated selection of local artisans and makers from Indie South, a local Handmade Goods & Vintage Finds shop. This year, the market will be located at the corner of Boulevard and North Chase Street, in the old Heirloom Café parking lot from 11 am to 5 pm.

Attendees can explore a variety of handmade goods, art, jewelry, and other locally crafted items while enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of Porchfest. Between performances, be sure to visit the market and support Athens' creative community!

A special thank you to Indie South for making this year’s Vendor Market possible!