Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The Elmwood Village will be rocking on Saturday, and yes, you can come in. It's Porchfest, where musicians perform for free.
For the uninitiated, James Sahaki of the Elmwood Village Association says it's a great neighborhood event. "Homeowners and businesses who have street facing porches or large garages, and then musicians come in and play for free, donating their talents, and all you have to do is walk around the village and enjoy this free event," sys Sahaki. He says there will be 230 bands on some 75 different porches.
He says homeowners register to host a band. "We put up a registration on our website where the bands can register, but also the porches can register, and the folks in this neighborhood look forward to it every year. Most of our hosts participate year after year after year, because it is just such a great grassroots event," says Sahaki.
Porchfest helps businesses along the village, adds Sahaki. "They spend their day walking around listening to music outdoors, but they also stop in and have lunch at one of our great little restaurants, or they stay after Porchfest and have dinner," says Sahaki. "Some of the bars in the neighborhood are doing live music into the evening, so you could even go to an after party. People are stopping into the little shops that they see, and they may not be making those purchases today, but they're looking at all of the great small businesses that we have on Elmwood, and they're thinking, wow, this store is terrific. I need to come back here and and do my Christmas shopping, do my birthday shopping, do my back to school shopping. So it's been great for the business owners. The residents love it, and it's just a great way to show off our terrific little neighborhood."
Sahaki says there is a ton of parking all over the village, including side streets.
Porchfest runs from 1-6pm Saturday.
