DENVER — Denver’s Baker neighborhood is getting a new music festival this fall and the stages will be people’s front porches.
Denver PorchFest is set for Saturday, October 3, and organizers say more than 340 bands have already applied to perform.
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“Baker is to me like the hub of art and music of Denver,” lead organizer Bradley Schwartz said. “A lot of our musicians have been from Baker who have applied, and they're people who not only want to play, but they live here, and they're excited about it, because it's a cool opportunity for them.”
The concept is simple: volunteer homeowners open their porches to musicians, and festivalgoers walk the neighborhood to catch performances throughout the day.
“There are no real stages, there’s no big production. It’s just people volunteer their houses who want to host a party and have a good time,” Schwartz said.
Dawn McNulty, a Baker resident of 25 years, has already signed up to host her porch.
“I love the historic charm. I love the eclectic community, and the walkability,” McNulty said. “Walking around the community and being in these charming homes with live music, it’s going to be amazing.”
It was originally planned as a ticketed event. Organizers, instead, recently decided to make it free of charge. The logistics of ticketing a festival as large as a whole neighborhood quickly became too complicated.
Organizers plan to raise money through online donations, merchandise sales, and sponsorships with local businesses. They have committed to paying each participating musician $100, although that number is subject to increase if they raise enough money.
Remaining funds will go to East 7th Arts, a nonprofit that provides music therapy to children with autism in public schools.
Jay Gindi, who runs the nonprofit, said music therapy is more than just an enrichment activity.
“Music therapy helps children with their individuality, inclusion, and independence. It helps with their social interactions, it helps with their academics, and it helps with regulating behavior,” Gindi said.
East 7<sup>th</sup> Arts partnered with Denver Public Schools (DPS) for a 15-classroom trial run. It's set to expand the program into every special needs classroom in DPS next year.
“The way we communicate might be different, or the way that they express themselves might be different. With music, it becomes a common ground where we all understand it together on the same level,” Gindi said.
Schwartz said the response from the Baker community has been overwhelmingly positive, and they are still looking for Baker residents willing to host a porch for the festival.
“I love live music. I think it’s really fantastic that the Baker community is going to have this inaugural Porch Fest in Denver,” McNulty said.
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