Moorestown, New Jersey—Moorestown Porch Fest will return for its second year on Saturday, May 17, 2025.  The event will bring together over 70 local bands on more than an estimated 30 porches in the township’s central business and residential districts for a family-friendly day of music and community.

Bands or solo musicians that pre-register and are selected for the all-weather event each will perform “mini-concerts” of about an hour long, hosted by residents who’ve signed up for the event.  Ian Thomas, lead organizer, said that food trucks also will be on hand to provide refreshment.

Proceeds from this year’s Porch Fest will benefit MoorArts, a non-profit that supports fine and performing arts in Moorestown public schools and in the community.  A different non-profit is selected as a beneficiary each year, Thomas said.  Last year, the event raised nearly $2,500 for the Perkins Center for the Arts, an arts education non-profit that has been based in Moorestown since 1976.  This year, Thomas said he hopes to raise as much as $15,000 for MoorArts.

Thomas said he was pleased with the turnout and result of last year’s event, and expects its second year to be even more successful.

“Despite some light rain, several hundred people turned out to enjoy Porch Fest last year, and we expect an even bigger turnout this year,” Thomas said.

Additional information on the event, including links for prospective bands and homeowners, is available at Moorestownporchfest.com.

Article by N.J. Community News

On Saturday, May 18, the town of Moorestown will be alive with the sound of music as it hosts its inaugural Porch Fest. The event, running from noon to 5 p.m., will feature local musicians performing live on porches throughout the center of town.

Porch Fest aims to celebrate music, community, and the historic charm of Moorestown. It is intended to bring together people of all ages for an afternoon of musical discovery and neighborhood hospitality. The mission is simple: to unite the Moorestown community through live music while raising money for a local non-profit.

This year’s beneficiary is the Perkins Center for the Arts, a regional cultural asset that works to “enrich lives and inspire life-long learning through interdisciplinary arts experiences.” Perkins Center offers comprehensive music instruction, visual and performing arts classes, exhibitions, concerts, artist-led school programs, summer camps, and community projects throughout South Jersey.

For more information, including a map and list of performers, visit moorestownporchfest.com.

Article by Josh Bakan

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown will soon have some new venues for live music: your neighbors' stoops.

Dozens of local bands will perform throughout the township during Moorestown Porch Fest — a fundraiser supporting Perkins Center for the Arts.

Concerts will take place May 18 at more than 20 different sites — primarily from residents' porches — throughout Moorestown's historic district.

Ian Thomas, a local realtor who organized Porch Fest, was inspired by similar events in Collingswood and Asbury Park. With Moorestown's tree-lined streets and historic homes, Thomas thought a porch festival would be perfect for the township where he was born and raised.

Two members of local organizations helped Thomas make the idea a reality: Mark Hines of the Moorestown Music Collective and Gretchen Simmerson of Homegrown Moorestown.

Organizers intend to hold Moorestown Porch Fest annually, supporting a different local nonprofit every year. Each concert is free, but attendees will be encouraged to purchase t-shirts and make donations during the event.

Thomas originally expected 10 or 15 bands to sign up. But to his surprise, the event has drawn nearly 80 acts spanning different genres.

"For some acts, this will be their first performance," Thomas told Patch. "They've been practicing in the garage for six months, and this will be their premier show. Other bands are veterans of the Philly music scene, so there really is a wide variety."

After organizers put a call-out on social media, several residents volunteered their porches and front lawns as venues. All locations are within close proximity:

Feedback from neighbors has been overwhelmingly positive, Thomas says. But the event has still taken steps to ensure that excessive noise isn't an issue.

"We've set the expectation with bands that you're coming into a residential neighborhood and volume should reflect that," Thomas said.

Visit Moorestown Porch Fest's website for more info, including concert lineups and times.

Article by Christine Harkinson

Moorestown’s first annual Porch Fest – an afternoon of live performances by local musicians at township homes – will be held at noon on Saturday, May 18.

The event is sponsored by local Realtor Ian Thomas, in partnership with the Moorestown Music Collective (MMC), Homegrown Moorestown and the Perkins Center for the Arts Porch Fest is meant for all ages to celebrate the music and unique historic charm of the township, according to the event’s website.

“Logically it’ll be, you’re going to go to a porch for maybe an hour of music approximately, maybe a little bit more, depending on what the acts are, because you’re going to be hopefully moving around two or three times at least during the day,” explained MMC member Mark Hines.

Porch Fest will include a variety of music, with each band performing its own style and lineup. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets, water and sunscreen.

“We’re kind of modeling off of other Porch Fests that have been done, either in Collingswood and Asbury Park or elsewhere in the country,” Thomas noted. “It’s really an independent concert where the homeowner is willing to allow people to sit on their front lawn and enjoy the music that’s being performed.”

Band names are expected to be announced on the event’s website at the end of next month. To sign up for text and email updates, visit https://forms.moorestownporchfest.com/updates.

“It’s very reassuring; so many people have already committed and are excited about it, just by sharing on social media,” said Gretchen Simmerson, co-founder of Homegrown Moorestown. “Just one post even … There’s a lot of excitement … I think Moorestown is just craving all these things, so it’s great that things are happening.”

“I think Porch Fests are always well received,” Thomas observed. “Everybody loves the community aspect, being able to listen to live music and feature up-and-coming local musicians. But I think even then (when the event was announced), it was nice to see some of the comments that we got and just how many.”

The mission of the event this year and going forward is simple: Celebrate and bring the community together with a day of live music while raising money for a township nonprofit.

“A lot of Porch Fests are able to raise a lot of money for nonprofits, so I would love to see each porch fest, each year, benefit a different nonprofit in town, whether it be Perkins, the Moorestown Music Collective – really any nonprofit,” Thomas said.

“The goal of the music collective has been really to make Moorestown more of a music destination and foster musicians and bring people to Moorestown,” Hines offered. “So it’s the same thing here.”

To be a porch host, perform or volunteer for the event, visit www.moorestownporchfest.com.