Dayton Porchfest is back in St. Annes Hill for it's ninth year on August 22, 2026. From 12:15PM to 6:45PM, 55 artists and bands will perform on porches across the neighborhood.
The festival gets more and more applications for performers every year, and organizer Peter Bankendorf says that it's because this event is different than your average gig at the bar.
"The connection with the audience, the old sense of community, and the feel is so very different. This year we had 181 bands apply for 56 spaces. That's 45 more than has ever applied before. So I think even in terms of giving the bands that kind of experience that's very different, that's unique, they wanna be a part of that."
One of the many performers Matt Shetler, who will be performing solo under Ready, Shet, Go!, says that part of the reason this event is so special is the connection between those on stage and the audience.
"I feel like the general vibe of Porchfest is very much like an equal level between the performers and the audience. It kind of like hearkens back a little bit to my old punk and hardcore days of playing a hall show where there's no stage, and you're just right there with the audience, so I love all of that."
To get more info on Dayton Porchfest head on over to their website daytonporchfest.org.
