On Sunday, Sept. 21, from 12 to 5 p.m., PorchFest, an annual community-hosted event, took place in the Gerstle Park neighborhood. This free community festival featured live music, food, and entertainment, all of which were organized and run by volunteers in collaboration with the City of San Rafael. For the sixth consecutive year, around 70 bands performed on porches throughout the neighborhood, transforming it into a vibrant, concert-like environment.
The festival showcased a diverse range of music genres, a variety of food options, and local sponsors hosting their own booths. Since its founding, PorchFest has added more food trucks and a growing community of volunteers.
PorchFest doesn’t have its origins in San Rafael; instead, the festival began in Ithaca, New York, and has since spread across the country. Since the inaugural San Rafael PorchFest in 2018, the event has grown in popularity, creating opportunities for people to discover local and lesser-known bands. Volunteer Coordinator Brenda Goeden explains the origin of the San Rafael festival.
“PorchFest is a national event… Some people went to [Napa PorchFest] and thought, ‘Hey, we have a good neighborhood. We have a lot of local bands, it will be something that we can pull off,” Goeden said. In San Rafael, that vision became reality. The local PorchFest brought residents together for an afternoon of music, dancing, and community connection.
Harmony Carillo, an attendee, appreciates how PorchFest not only brings the San Rafael community together but also creates an environment for families to create bonding memories.
“My favorite part was that there was some Latino music. My dad and I salsa together. We grew up doing that together, so we just danced in the street, which is something we don’t do a lot,” Carillo said.
PorchFest provides the community with an opportunity to support local bands in the area. Jared Smith, an attendee, finds that music is unifying and helps build a sense of community. Residents have the opportunity to discover new talent while reconnecting with musicians they already know.
“What I love to see is that the community comes out to celebrate live music…Ultimately, there’s a lot of [bad things in the world], so it’s good to be around music,” Smith said. “Live music creates a sense of unity and allows people to enjoy themselves.”
The festival showcased the cohesion of the San Rafael community and created a space for people to enjoy music. Porchfest is an event that Attendees look forward to each year. The next PorchFest is scheduled for September 2026.
