Historic Athens Porchfest returns for its sixth year on Sunday, Oct. 20 from noon to 8 p.m., with 209 performances on porches across seven historic neighborhoods in the Athens-Clarke County community. It is a free event that celebrates local music and historical preservation and is family-friendly.

Tommy Valentine, executive director of Historic Athens, discussed during a press conference the history of Porchfest, mentioning there are over 300 Porchfests nationwide. He explained that the reason for bringing this event to Athens was “to bridge our incredible music scene and that community heritage with the built environment to celebrate our music scene.”

Denise Sunta, engagement coordinator and staff liaison at Historic Athens Porchfest, talked about the various partnerships that they will have for this event.

A new addition to Porchfest this year is a partnership with SoundCloud. Attendees can visit a SoundCloud Zone to pick up free swag and learn more about participating artists. 

“Historic Athens Porchfest is truly a celebration of community, creativity and history,” Sunta said. 

This event creates a lot of traffic due to the amount of people that attend. Valentine emphasized that “this is not a car festival,” and encouraged the community to bike or use Athens Trolley Tours, which will offer free rides between neighborhoods. 

Alison Miller, an Athens resident and fourth year host of Porchfest, noted that she is open to hosting anyone at her home.

“I have no idea who will end up on the porch, but that is kind of the fun part,” Miller said.  

Miller shared that Porchfest has helped her meet neighbors she had never spoken to before.

“The thing that I love about that weekend or that day is that it’s kind of like this effortless way to get involved and meet people,” she said. 

Miller also shared her reasons for hosting, saying, it has the “Power to introduce people to different types of music and make people aware of all the varieties of music happening in Athens right now.” 

There will be music from R&B, alternative pop rock, grunge, folk and so many others that will display a wide variety of music. 

SJ Ursrey, lead instructor at Nuçi Space Camp Amped and a musician, discussed what it’s like to perform at Porchfest and her involvement with Camp Amped, a music camp for middle and high school students that focuses on mental health and becoming better musicians. 

“Showing people how to play together is really, it’s really fulfilling,” Ursrey said. 

This year, Ursrey is performing in two bands and assisting another group that formed through Camp Amped.

 “I love that I can do three things in one day,” she said. “So I’ll be with camp, and then I’ll be with my solo thing and then I’ll be with my choir,” Ursrey Said.

Ursrey encouraged attendees to be mindful during performances, emphasizing that artists don’t want the audience to talk throughout their sets, as it can be disheartening for performers who put in a lot of effort.