Words & Photos by Diane DiMemmo

Photos by James DeSalvo 

The 6th Annual Asbury Park Porchfest took place on Saturday, September 10th from 12-6pm to the backdrop of gorgeous sunshine and perfect temperatures throughout the City of Asbury Park. One hundred twenty-five musical acts performed on the porches of twenty-five residents and local businesses to the delight of thousands of attendees! Some chose to picnic and relax at one porch for the day, while many others rode their bikes from porch to porch to listen to as much music as possible.

The day kicked off at noon in the parking area between Asbury Lanes and Danny Clinch’s Transparent Gallery with Jarod Clemons & The Late Nights setting the tone with a dynamic, rollicking set. The performance included an always exciting appearance by Danny Clinch who tore it up on the harmonica. Festival Founder Jordan Modell, Asbury Park Music Foundation Trustee & Bruce Springsteen Archives Director Eileen Chapman, and Mayor John Moor addressed the large crowd thanking everyone for their support of the annual event, of which 100% of donations are given directly to the people of Asbury Park!  Projects like building public gardens, providing meals to food insecure families, college scholarships for graduating seniors in need, Interfaith Neighbors, and supporting the restoration project of the historical Turf Club are just a few of the many ways Porchfest benefits the community.

At 1:00pm sharp, all live music porch performances took off and went non-stop throughout the day. The most challenging – yet exciting - aspect of Porchfest is that you want to hear everyone and be everywhere but you just can’t. We here at Asbury Park Vibes wished we could’ve captured all of the musicians and did the best that we could! (Click here for photos or watch our slideshow below!) Festival attendees also actively visited as many porches as possible and every person we spoke with raved about the experience.

The musical genres represented during the festival were as varied as can be, including indie, rock, punk, Broadway, reggae, punk, jazz, hip-hop, classical, country, folk, and more! A multitude of extremely talented Asbury and Jersey Shore artists were featured.  A full list of the participating musicians can be found here. Make sure to add their music to your playlists, follow them on social media and support them when they perform live in our area!

All in all, widespread feelings of friendship, community, and a love of music were present everywhere at the Asbury Park Porchfest. It is truly one of the best annual music events that fully embodies the genuine spirit, heart, and soul of Asbury Park. Follow Porchfest on social media so you can mark your calendar as soon as the 2023 date is announced. Donations are still being accepted and can be made here.

"Thank you to everyone at the Jersey Shore for making this the biggest Asbury Park Porchfest ever! From 7 to 10,000 people!!  We raised enough money to feed 1,000 food insecure Asbury families for a week; in addition to trying to bring back the only music club on Asbury Park's West side and help provide free pre-K education for those most in need."

~Jordan Modell, Asbury Park Porchfest Founder & Organizer

Sponsors of Asbury Park Porchfest

Asbury Park Homeowners Association

iStar

Deana Kreher, Realtor

Asbury Sunset

Troppoli Law Firm

Asbury Park Now

Law Offices of Nelson Fromer Crocco & Jordan

A special thank you goes out to all of the porch sponsors who opened their porches and yards for this amazing day!!

About the Asbury Park PorchFest Organizer

The ASBURY PARK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, founded in 1995, the 500-member strong Asbury Park Homeowners Association is a not-for-profit corporation providing resident homeowners an organized means of gathering together to enhance Asbury Park’s quality of life. APHA is politically active, taking on issues of community concern. From short-term rentals to parking, from bike-sharing to taxes – the APHA is there representing homeowners’ interests. We aim to serve all Asbury Park residents with food drives, park cleanups, and Porchfest!

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY!

Diane DiMemmo is the founder and editor of Asbury Park Vibes. In addition to hosting the APV Podcast and Artist Spotlight series, she specializes in portrait, promo, and tour photography.

Raised in Brooklyn, NY in a community dedicated to service, sports and education. After traveling the US with a backpack in tow, serving in the USN and studying advertising in college, I followed my career path through the graphic arts industry surrounded by artists, writers and craftsmen. Today, my camera is my compass and music is my passion.