Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the City of Somerville, and the Somerville Arts Council invite you to take part in this year’s PorchFest on Saturday, May 13 (rain date: May 14). 

Have you ever sat on your porch and overheard a neighbor strumming a guitar? PorchFest takes this idea and multiplies it, creating a citywide event for all to share their love of playing and listening to music. PorchFest began in 2011 and has been growing rapidly ever since. This year, more than 200 musical acts will perform on porches, stoops, and front yards all over town. Genres range from cosmic Americana and killer blues to Afrobeat, acid folk, and space rock.

Acts in West Somerville (west of Willow Avenue) perform from noon to 2:00 p.m., bands in central Somerville (Willow Avenue to Central Street) perform from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and musicians in East Somerville (east of Central Street) perform from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. To learn more about the lineup and see a map of performances, go to somervilleartscouncil.org/porchfest.