Tacoma Porchfest: Music as a Vehicle to Foster Community 

— by Ella Tao

In 2007, the very first Porchfest came to life in Ithaca, New York. What started as twenty bands performing on porches in the city eventually became over 200 bands today. Since its beginning, Porchfest has expanded to about 230 other locations around the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. 

The first Tacoma Porchfest started in 2022, and has launched every summer since. The Tacoma Porchfest has quickly gained popularity, with over 300 bands in 2025. It is run entirely by volunteers, and features a two-day, free and walkable music festival with food trucks, a live parade, and great company. Performances include a range of music groups and genres, poetry, comedy, and even a wrestling ring. As the name implies, these groups perform on the porches of people’s houses in the neighborhood, but it also can include a driveway, yard, or back alley. Each neighborhood of Porchfest brings a unique twist with its culture shaping the overall vibe of the festival. Tacoma Porchfest has changed the way that we listen to music. It helps emerging artists gain visibility, builds community, and pushes back against the shift from recorded music and traditional music venues. 

Unexplored Music Groups 

Lesser-known artists often struggle with finding venues to perform at, due to financial reasons or because they are not as popular. Even though they are high-potential artists, it’s hard for them to reach larger audiences. Irina Rasputnis, the organizer of Tacoma Porchfest, shared in an interview that people often prefer a wide variety of artists, whether it is doom metal, rap, hip-hop, experimental, or many others. Tacoma truly embraces diversity and aims to find a place for any and all music groups and genres. They also do this by offering higher payment rates to BIPOC musicians, with the help of grant funding. 

Tacoma’s diversity has allowed for smaller artists to perform and share their music with larger audiences. In fact, Margaret’s Sick, a queer emo band based on the Pacific Northwest, has gained a massive following after performing at Tacoma Porchfest in 2025. The band, composed of four individuals, often performed house shows around the Tacoma area, and was recommended by a friend to perform at Porchfest. Reminiscing on their porch performance, one of the band members, Dev, shares that “[they] got a bunch of new fans, a bunch of new listeners, and just way more exposure through it”. Beyond Porchfest, they got the opportunity to play in front of larger audiences, including Jazzbones and Chop Suey in Tacoma and Seattle. 

New Connections 

Tacoma Porchfest is open to everyone, ranging from different types of bands to audiences. The use of porches as a place to perform can also create a very intimate environment. It encourages artists to share supplies like microphones, amplifiers, and speakers. Artists are usually given a schedule and a set amount of time to perform; once they have finished their set, a new performer replaces them. Many different groups share one porch, creating a “do-it-yourself” 

atmosphere. When asked about a specific scenario where Porchfest brought artists together, Irina recalls a time where two separate artists were placed on the same porch–both of which performed loud experimental electronic music. After spending time sharing the porch, they now perform together and separately and share that “their entire performance together is dedicated to their story of how they met”. 

Interestingly enough, Margaret’s Sick experienced something similar. Moving in Slow, a music group led by Laurent Chavannes, was performing across the street from Margaret’s Sick. Both bands connected with each other, and now, they have an upcoming performance together at Jazzbones in August. Dev shares that “Porchfest has been such a great networking tool and great way to just meet more people in the scene and grow our connections”. Not only does Porchfest expand artists’ audiences, but it also provides opportunities to meet other artists and perform with them. 

Porchfest as a Non-Traditional Music Venue 

As concert tickets rise, they are slowly excluding audiences, which often pushes them toward recorded music on platforms like Apple Music or Spotify. Even though some people can afford concert tickets, traditional music venues can sometimes lack genuine connections between the artist and audience members. Margaret’s Sick explained that at a venue like Chop Suey, there are so many lights that are beaming towards the performers, which makes it difficult to see the audience. However, Porchfest has natural lighting with a much more relaxed environment. Dev mentioned that at Porchfest, he “felt like [he] was actually performing for these people instead of ‘at’ them.” Porchfest is also advertised as a free event, funded by grants from the City of Tacoma, as well as local neighborhood organizations. By having activities for all ages (including kids) and diverse music groups, you’re not just a person in the audience–you are part of the experience. 

As Tacoma Porchfest continues to expand, Irina is hoping to continue diversifying its music groups by featuring more cultural performances, such as partnering with local tribes or organizations like the Asia Pacific Cultural Center or Mi Centro Washington. In the future, she hopes that Porchfest is sustainable and can continue to increase in involvement. 

About the Author

Ella Tao prepared this blog post as the final project for Musical History of Tacoma, taught by Professor Kim Davenport at the University of Puget Sound in Spring Semester 2026; at the time, she was a junior majoring in Business Administration and Communication.