JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s PorchFest returned Saturday after last year’s “Porch Fest Reimagined” was impacted by a nor’easter.
PorchFest is a musical street party in Historic Springfield that brings people out to enjoy live music, delicious local food and an overall good time among family and friends of all ages.
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Last year’s celebration had limited vendors and not a huge crowd turnout because of the nor’easter.
PorchFest celebrations happen across the county but the Jacksonville celebration didn’t start until 2014.
One of the many people who originally brought Porchfest to Springfield, Crissie Cudd, thought it would be a good idea to bring it to the Springfield neighborhood since people love hanging out on their porches -- a feature that makes Springfield homes special.
“What do we have that nobody else has? Front porches and it went from there,” Cudd said. “This really is about Springfield this is a welcoming community, and this really is just the epitome of what we stand for.”
Attendees listened to various porch concerts and watched local student performances from the Douglas Anderson School of Arts Guitar Ensemble and the Jacksonville Arts Project.
Since its birth — the fest gets bigger and bigger every year.
In 2019, the event brought out 25,000 people, and this year many are anticipating attendance to top that number. The festival brought in people of all ages.
Karlens Ward attended the festivities and said his favorite part of PorchFest is the music.
“It makes me vibe. I just love it out here. It’s paradise,” Ward said.
Heather Keller, on the other hand, enjoys the fest from her front porch.
“I’ve lived here for three years. We’re the little street that could do this, and we love living here,” Keller said. “It’s a sense of community. It’s a secret gem.”