More than 70 bands will play on porches, front yards and driveways across San Rafael's Gerstle Park neighborhood on Sunday, Sept. 20. The seventh annual PorchFest runs from noon to 5 p.m.
The all-volunteer festival, hosted by the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association in partnership with the City of San Rafael, is free to attend. Every performer plays without pay. Longtime San Rafael resident Tom Obletz started the event in 2018, according to the neighborhood association.
Organizers expect thousands of people to fill the 20-plus performance areas scattered across the neighborhood, according to the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce.
Genres span pop, indie, folk, R&B, hip-hop, rock and punk, according to an Aug. 13 post on the @srporchfest Instagram account.
Getting there
Several streets close at 11 a.m. and reopen at 6 p.m. Bayview Street and San Rafael Avenue close from D Street to Clark Street. Marin Street closes from San Rafael Avenue to Ross Street. Clorinda Avenue closes from Marin Street to Clark Street. Ross Street and Clark Street stay open for through traffic.
No vehicles will be allowed to enter or exit the PorchFest zone from 11:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. There's also no parking on the north side of Ross Street between Marin Street and D Street, and no parking on Marin Street in front of Short School for the entire event weekend.
Vivalon, the San Rafael nonprofit formerly known as Whistlestop, will run two handicap-accessible shuttles. The route connects the city parking lot at C Street and 3rd Street to the D Street and Bayview entrance of the porch zone. Shuttles run 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and both parking and the ride are free. Additional free parking is available at 711 D St. Bike racks are set up throughout the event area.
What's new
This year's addition is a custom sew lounge run by Tommy Breeze in front of Porch 22 on San Rafael Avenue. Attendees pick a hat and get a patch sewn on the spot.
Salsa Dance Marin will offer a salsa class at 3:30 p.m. and social dancing at 4 p.m. at Gerstle Park.
Food vendors will be stationed near Gerstle Park and near Short School. No alcohol is allowed. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and watering bowls will be placed throughout the porch zone.
Merch and art
A merchandise tent in front of Short School will sell adult T-shirts for $30, kids' T-shirts for $25, hats for $36 and posters for $20. The shirts are screen-printed by Diaz Screen Printing.
This year's poster was designed by Katie Kincade of Katie Kincade Designs. The artwork depicts a colorful Gerstle Park Victorian house with fall foliage, drawn from the neighborhood's photo archives.
San Rafael City Councilmember Eli Hill, in a testimonial posted on the event website after a prior year's festival, said he envisions PorchFest as a lasting fixture. "I only imagine a future in which Porchfest is a permanent part of our community," Hill wrote.
Event details, including neighbor notices in English and Spanish, are posted at sanrafaelporchfest.com.
