Ash Hop Porchfest 2023: Saturday, September 30th, 2-7 pm

Where Porches Become Stages, And Strangers Become Friends

The bucolic towns of Ashland and Hopkinton. MA are coming together to bring the beloved grassroots music event, Porchfest, to their communities for the first time on Saturday, September 30th, 2023. An idea born in 2007 by two ukulele-strumming neighbors in Ithaca, NY to bring home-grown music to their own community, Porchfest has since become a phenomenon in more than 170 cities and towns throughout the US and Canada. Musicians are matched with porches in this community event to bring a free afternoon and evening of fun for all ages; community members can come to see one act, bounce between different shows or stay for the entire event.

The Ash Hop Porchfest 2023 will be located primarily in the two town centers, connected through Route 135, to aid in ease of attendance while promoting walkability as much as possible during the music-hopping opportunities from 2:00-6:00 pm. The event will culminate in an extended Community Hour and Grand Finale from 5:30-7:00 pm at the Corner Spot in Ashland by the local, crowd-favorite band Road Dawgs with food vendors available. The rain date is Sunday, October 1st.

As of the writing of this article on August 8, an incredible line-up is already underway with over twenty bands and twelve porches signed up to participate. Musicians do not need to be local to Ashland or Hopkinton to sign up on the website: AshHopPorchfest.org. A diverse representation of musical genres is part of the enjoyment.  An updated schedule and map will be available online through the website and QR codes on signage around town closer to the date.

Allison Burba Horgan, serving in the role of Media Relations for the Ash Hop Porchfest Organizing Committee, states the support of the community and corporate sponsors have been invaluable for helping to realize this event. The towns of Ashland and Hopkinton have been instrumental in smoothing out the logistics during the planning process. We are pleased to have sponsorship from Foemmel Fine Homes: https://www.foemmelfinehomes.com/ among other local businesses. Additional businesses that would like to sponsor can apply at MusicPorchfest.@gmail.com.