For nearly 10 months of the year — through humid, bug-filled days in August to frigid February mornings — Princeton’s downtown is, for the most part, silent. Whether it be new families taking their children on a stroll through secluded neighborhoods or pairs of older couples quietly enjoying their coffee on Palmer Square’s marble chess tables, Princeton’s downtown is luxurious and leisurely. Yet, one day each spring, this calm is pierced with the bright buzzes of trumpets, rhythmic hisses of electric guitars, and cascades of wispy vocals.
This interruption from the usual slow-paced nature of downtown is Princeton’s spring Porchfest. Blending community connection with music, Porchfest occurs in several locations around Princeton’s downtown and adjacent neighborhoods. At each location, student performers and local acts from a variety of genres come together for an informal environment. With the performances taking place in town and people’s houses, audience members can choose their preferred location and style of music.
This year, Porchfest featured 84 different local acts and bands in 17 locations in Princeton. Beyond this staggering number of performances, Porchfest also showcased an impressive variety of genres, from early 2000s raw punk with overblown distorted Weezer-esque melodies to bluegrass family bands with jaunty fiddle and violin solos.
As I arrived at the Maclean House, an area designated for Princeton student performers, I saw people of all ages in the crowd — little kids playing with bubbles, college students chatting with friends, and older people gently swaying to the music.
At the Maclean House, I heard Princeton student performer Althea Aguel ’27, with her slightly twangy jazz guitar and wonderfully feathery vocals, which swayed through the air like an ocean wave.
Soon after, I moved to Palmer Square, where the atmosphere subtly changed with each step I took. Before I knew it, I had left the world of coffee shops and airy jazz and entered a hoedown.
There, an army of toddlers and elementary students stood on the carefully maintained town square, eagerly listening to the syncopated, intertwined rhythm of violins and acoustic guitars. As if in some mandolin-led version of “Simon Says,” the singer shouted instructions to the kids, and they would immediately follow, jumping with huge grins on their faces.
I was astonished by how packed the event was. Everywhere I looked, couples, parents, students, and kids lined the streets and sidewalks, gleefully chatting.
After enjoying the hoedown from afar, I made my way to see the alternative punk band Cherry Blossoms. Located at a family house at the end of the event’s map, I followed the musical strikes of running bass in the air, arriving just in time to see the beginning of their set.
Immediately, I was transported into another world as I quickly traded my country hat for SoCal skater culture. With buzzy angular guitar and distorted vocals, the Cherry Blossoms’ performance was a welcome change of pace and a perfect encapsulation of Porchfest.
At one point, while delivering slack-jawed emo lyrics from the picturesque, all-American Princeton mansion, the singer stopped briefly, yelling to the crowd, “My mom’s here!”
While ironic for the anti-establishment sound of the music, this moment truly exemplified the core value of Porchfest, bringing families together and forging connections through a shared love of music.
In this way, Porchfest’s diverse music directly reflected its audience: open-minded people of all ages who love to connect with others through music.
This sentiment was further cemented at my next stop, a house just a few blocks away. In fact, within a few minutes of watching the band Close Drive, the main singer also shouted out to his and his bandmates’ moms, all of whom were at the performance. As I sat down to relax and enjoy the rest of the show on a curb, I overheard a conversation with the house’s owner.
Speaking to an older gentleman with an adorable dachshund puppy, the owner chirped brightly, “Yes, of course, you can use the restroom … just make sure to take off your shoes.” This action of a venue host letting a perfect stranger into their house demonstrates Porchfest’s exceptionally intimate and community-driven atmosphere, where even strangers are treated like old friends.
As I finished off my first Porchfest experience with the local classic rock band The Shaxe, the sun came out for the first time in the day. Despite the rainy weather, Porchfest’s artists shined brightly, showing off their musical talent while entertaining audiences of all ages for over six hours. While not every artist was my favorite or even a genre of music I listened to regularly, it didn’t matter, as the lively and sociable energy of Porchfest was more than enough for me and any music lover alike.
Gavin McLoughlin, a member of the class of 2028, is an associate editor for The Prospect. He can be reached at gm9041@princeton.edu.
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