Kiki D raps at the River of Life Church stage at JP Porchfest, Saturday, July 9, 2016.

Deadline to Sign-up to Perform, Host, Volunteer for JP Porchfest is June 30

Have you ever wanted to host, volunteer or even perform during JP Porchfest? Well, you've got until June 30 to sign-up. JP Porchfest is August 19 this year, and it's going to be great time all over the neighborhood. Artists do not get paid to perform, albeit Dunamis, the nonprofit that organizes the event, piloted a stipend payment in 2021, but they need more sponsorship money to try to pay artists. And maybe you don't want to perform, but you know someone who would like to perform -- they don't need to live in Jamaica Plain.

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JP Porchfest Still On For Saturday; Sunday Programming Postponed To Aug. 28

This Sunday's JP Porchfest programming has been postponed to next Saturday due to Tropical Storm Henri. Saturday's programming will go on as planned. Saturday's programming will happen from 11 am to 4 pm, as well next Saturday's, too. Click here to read more about all of the awesome musical acts who are performing at JP Porchfest this year.

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7th Annual JP Porchfest on Saturday AND Sunday!

This year's JP Porchfest will not be like any other before it, as it's taking place over two days, at 33 different locations across Jamaica Plain

This year is Dunamis first year of organizing JP Porchfest, and this year has a focus on BIPOC musicians. There are three main porches being curated by JP Porchfest's community partners and featuring varied performers and musical styles:

Rogerson House, 434 Jamaicaway, community partners: Meraki Productions and CEI
Eliot School, 24 Eliot Street, community partners: Dorchester Art Project and Cultural Agora. Sam Adams Porch, 30 Germaina St, Community Partner: Urbano Project. There is something for everyone's musical tastes this year. On Saturday there will be two lively group performances at the Anna M Cole Community Center at the Mildred Hailey Apartments (10 Lamartine St.).

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JP Porchfest Happening Live (And Online) in August

Great news -- JP Porchfest will take place over two days, August 21 and 22! Due to continued concerns about safety, the 7th Annual JP Porchfest will occur both in person, and online in real time for selected performance locations. There is also a cap of 18 on the number of porches for each day. Last year's JP Porchfest was cancelled due to the pandemic, and this year's Porchfest will not be produced by co-founders Mindy Fried and Marie Ghitman, who handed the reins over to Dunamis. "Our work is steeped in racial equity and as an organization, Dunamis does everything we can to support and create space for creatives of color," says Dunamis' website.

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Kiki D reaches out to a fan as she performs at the River of Life Church stage at JP Porchfest, Saturday, July 9, 2016.

180 Bands, Dancers, Storytellers, Comedians & More Performing at JP Porchfest on July 13

Pretty much, you will barely be able to move in Jamaica Plain this weekend without seeing a JP Porchfest performance! This is the 6th Annual Jamaica Plain Porchfest, and it has never been more popular or robust: 180 bands, and artistic groups -- theater, dance, spoke word, storytelling, and comedy -- will perform on 97 porches. "JP Porchfest is almost like 100 little mini-festivals! And people have repeatedly told us that as they walk or bike around, they feel so much joy percolating in the air!" said Marie Ghitman, who co-founded the festival with Mindy Fried.

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JP Porchfest is July 7th: Get Ready for 170 Performances on 90 Porches!

The 5th Annual Jamaica Plain Porchfest this Saturday will be more awesome than the previous four as it will include music, theater, dance, spoken word, storytelling, comedy, circus arts and a politicians' porch. "We have 90 generous porch hosts this year – that is, folks who offer their porches to performers. In some cases, people perform on their own porches, but they often welcome others," said Mindy Fried, co-organizer with Marie Ghitman and Eli Pabon. "And in many cases, porch hosts simply offer their porches to whomever we assign to their porches, of course taking into consideration their available space, and if they have any special requests." Click on the map of porches to see a description of all of the performances (courtesy JP Porchfest).

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Jamaica Plain Porchfest Registration Now Open to Perform and Host

Do you have a band and want to play during Jamaica Plain Porchfest? Or do you have a porch and want to host a band? Registration is now open for Jamaica Plain Porchfest happening this July. But it's not just musicians who are welcome to perform during JP Porchfest -- also spoken word artists, dancers, actors, storytellers, circus artists and more! Last year more than 133 bands and solo musicians performed during JP Porchfest at more than 70 locations.

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Porchfest will Bring Music, Dance, and Community to the Streets of Jamaica Plain

On Saturday, the streets of Jamaica Plain will be filled with the sights and sounds of music and dance, as thousands of attendees comb the sidewalks for the JP's second annual celebration of art and community, Porchfest. Porchfest co-producer Mindy Fried--who, along with coproducer Marie Ghitman and a handful of additional volunteers, organized the festival--described it as "six hours of art", a free event during which multi-genre performances will emanate from over 72 porches, driveways, community centers and green spaces. Ghitman said JP is one of the 23 cities and neighborhoods to have organized their own Porchfests. The ideas was first conceived in Ithaca, New York in 2007 as a music festival held directly on community members' front doorsteps. Jamaica Plain, said Fried, was "ripe for this kind of event," which has expanded from last year to include not only music, but dance, storytelling, spoken word, theater and more.

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