Montclair Porchfest: Where Each Porch Becomes a Stage

The streets of Montclair turned into a giant stage this past weekend as the 2026 Montclair Porch Fest took place. This event brings the community together and promotes emerging artists looking to perform. 

Each year, houses in Montclair get the opportunity to fill out a form to allow bands to come and perform for Porchfest. Once the porch is approved, each performer is assigned a porch and time to play. 

Porchfest is special due to the atmosphere. Everyone walked around enjoying the good weather, bringing lawn chairs and blankets, going from house to house. Blocks of porches filled with bands and singers played from 11 AM- 5 PM with a lineup for each porch! The festival continues to build and proves Montclair’s local music scene is louder than ever.

This year's events expanded with a finale at Lackawanna Station featuring members of the Recording Academy’s New York and Philadelphia chapters. Jake Thistle of American Idol was the closing act for the festival, mixing nationally recognized talent with hometown performers, which captures what Porchfest is about. 

We caught up with Saint Valentine, who was playing Porchfest for the first time. “I’m excited to come and connect with the community and entertain a little bit,” said Valentine before hitting the porch for a 2 p.m. performance.

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LONG STORY SHORT: No matter where or how, music is a connector between artists, neighbors, and the wider music community. It goes to show you don’t need a big stage and lights to put on a good show. Just vibes and a porch.