DENVER — Denver is set to host its first-ever Porch Fest this Saturday, turning the Baker neighborhood into a massive, walkable music event featuring 193 artists at 85 locations — what organizers say is the largest single-day festival in Colorado history by lineup size.
Angi Xanders is one of 85 hosts opening a space to performers for the event. She was still putting the finishing touches on her setup ahead of the festival.
"Maybe about 30 more disco balls to put up," Xanders said with a laugh.
Check out the video below to listen to a bit of music from The Improphets:
She said the music-forward Baker neighborhood was a natural home for an event like Porch Fest.
"Baker is such a community anyway... it's very music-driven with all of the great venues on Broadway, so it just made sense for it to happen here," Xanders said.
The festival is completely free to attend. Visitors can walk through the Baker neighborhood, discover live music at any of the 85 locations, and see whichever acts they choose. A $20 donation provides access to an app with artist lineups, locations, and set times.
Bradley Schwartz, the festival's lead organizer, said those donations are essential to keeping the event running — and paying the performers.
"That donation goes towards covering our logistical expenses. Hopefully, it's going to allow us to pay these musicians as well, because at the end of the day, they're the ones who make this festival happen," Schwartz said.
Among the performers is local jazz band The Improphets. Band member Adon Biggs said signing on for Denver's first-ever Porch Fest was a clear choice.
"I saw that Denver was going to be hosting their very first Porch Fest, and they were looking for acts. I was like, 'Oh, we have to do this,'" Biggs said.
Bandmate Mason Cooke said the format of the festival taps into something he feels is missing in the modern world.
"So much of our world is very isolating right now, and so trying to find spaces where you can be really intimate with the music, you can see the people you're playing for, all that kind of thing. I think just adds an extra level of connection that may be missing," Cooke said.
Not every stage is a modest front porch. Rob Griffith, co-founder of One Point Production, is building a professional-grade stage — complete with sound and lighting — at a vacant property neighboring one of the host locations.
"We have the toys. May as well take them out and play with them and let the artists play with them," Griffith said.
He said the festival gives local musicians a chance to connect with community members they wouldn't otherwise reach.
"It's a great opportunity for artists to get exposed more to community members that they wouldn't be in front of otherwise, and to provide a nice little sunny day fall activity for everybody in the neighborhood for free," Griffith said.
Schwartz said he never expected the festival to grow to this scale.
"It just kind of snowballed. You know, people are so excited about this concept. The musicians are. The neighborhood is. I just think that once we started going, it was it was kind of a freight train that wasn't going to stop," Schwartz said.
Biggs said the philosophy behind Porch Fest aligns with how The Improphets approach their craft.
"To me, it was very much in the ethos of like the music we make, as well as like why not play for people that are just walking by," Biggs said.
For Xanders, events like Porch Fest are what make Denver feel like home.
"I love it more every year. Events like this just really what what makes it feel like home," Xanders said.
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