Jamaica Plain’s Annual Porchfest will return this year, with some changes from past years. In an effort to maintain safety protocols and reduce large crowds, this year¡¯s Porchfest will span two days from August 21-22 from 11 am-4 pm on each day throughout the central neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain. In addition to the new two day festival format, virtual streaming options have been introduced for the main porches on both days as well as ¡°JP Couchfest,” a pre-recorded performance series held the week counting down to the festival for performers who aren¡¯t able to be in person this year. With all of these options, there has never been a better year to get your Porchfest on!
Some things haven¡¯t changed. This year¡¯s festival will still be a celebration of the cultural and artistic diversity of JP, and still honors the community spirit that drives folx to open up their homes to strangers. However, this year, the festival¡¯s focus on highlighting our local BIPOC community will be strengthened, so not only will BIPOC artists and creatives be spotlighted and centered, performers will also be compensated for the first time! This is a small but necessary step towards valuing the artists and creatives that make our community so rich in culture.
“Dunamis’ mission – to ignite agency and transformative growth for emerging artist and arts-managers of color – aligns really well with the JP Porchfest’s mission of celebrating the creative talent and diversity of JP and beyond, using the arts as a vehicle to weave together the community across the divides of race, class, culture and immigrant status,” said Marie Ghitman, Co-producer of Jamaica Plain Porchfest
What can you expect at Porchfest this year?
Performances all over Jamaica Plain on porches, driveways, front yards and more.
Porches curated by community partners: CulturalAgora, Brain Arts Org, Urbano Project, CEI and Meraki
Beer Garden sponsored by Sam Adams Brewery at 30 Germania St, Boston, MA 02130, United States.
This is a free festival open to all. Couchfest performances will be shared throughout the week leading up to the festival, and main stage porches will be live-streamed the day of the festival!
“We are so excited that JP Porchfest was and continues to be embraced as a Jamaica Plain tradition. And we feel huge excitement and gratitude that our friends at Dunamis will be producing this festival,” said Mindy Fried and Marie Ghitman, JP Porchfest Founders.
Dunamis ignites agency and transformative growth for emerging artists and arts-managers of color by serving as a nexus for professional development, community-building, consultation, production, advocacy and developing equitable pipelines for access and leadership in creative spaces, it is an honor for us to take the reins to produce JP Porchfest 2021!
We are proud and excited to announce our main sponsor for JP Porchfest 2021, Sam Adams Boston Brewery. Sam Adams is committed to hosting a porch and providing a robust beer garden experience on both festival days! Porchfest is also proudly sponsored by Hoopla Productions, Mass Cultural Council, National Art Strategies and Ellen + Janis Real Estate Team. Without the support of these organizations, Porchfest would cease to exist. “We are thrilled to sponsor this unique neighborhood event that highlights JP’s cultural and artistic diversity. We cannot think of a better way to build community together,” said Ellen Grubert and Janis Lippman of the Ellen + Janis Real Estate Team