Virginia-Highland Porchfest is taking a break next year. What happens now?
In 2021, after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Porchfest, a Virginia-Highland neighborhood event, began with one question.
“How do we get people out of their houses and socializing in a way that’s more fulfilling?” said Ron McMurtrie, a board member of the Virginia Highland District Association. The nonprofit, which aims to keep the North Highland commercial corridor “vibrant, safe and prosperous” according to its website, runs the annual festival.
Over the past five years, the popular event, featuring more than 100 local musicians performing on 55 porches between Virginia Avenue and Drewry Street, has grown from 10,000 to 45,000 attendees. But last month, that crowd size prompted the festival to announce a hiatus for 2027 — yielding both support and criticism. The festival plans to return in 2028.
Now, McMurtrie said his team is in the “early days” of “reimagining” what the event will be in 2028, including holding multiple meetings with community members. He said a different event before Porchfest’s return could be in the works, too.
“What we want to do is have a festival that’s in keeping with the 100-year-old heritage of the neighborhood, where people can enjoy live music and have a good, safe and enjoyable time,” McMurtrie exclusively shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
McMurtrie said festival attendance grew significantly over the past two years, resulting in complaints about property damage in the neighborhood. This year, for the first time, Porchfest (hosted on May 16) was a ticketed event priced at $10-20, which McMurtrie said was enforced to help mitigate the crowd.
Following this year’s iteration, the Virginia-Highland District Association sent surveys to attendees, vendors and businesses. It also held town hall meetings. McMurtrie said property damage was the main complaint from that feedback, prompting the 2027 break.
Porchfest is one of several annual neighborhood live musical events in metro Atlanta. Norcross’ Porchfest began this year. Decatur’s Oakhurst Porchfest, launched in 2015, canceled this year’s programming because of Hurricane Isaias — its second cancellation since 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
When asked if the Oakhurst event faces similar issues to Virginia-Highland’s, a representative for the former told the AJC via email that the festival is spread across a square mile, adding, “We do have some big draws, but when (a musician’s) hour slot is completed and the crowd disperses, many of those in their audience wander off to another area of the neighborhood.”
“We know we need to get the (crowd size) right,” McMurtrie said. “To do that, you can’t just do the same thing we’ve been doing. We have to change it up a bit and think through how we do that.”
Kacie Luaders, a Decatur resident who regularly attends Porchfest, said this was the first year she noticed things that could become “dangerous” at the event, like people standing on cars.
Since last year, the Atlanta Police Department has received two calls regarding similar complaints at Porchfest: one about illegally parked vehicles and another about a trespasser.
“All it takes is one bad incident to really ruin stuff forever,” the 39-year-old said. “As disappointed as I am, because again, I know how much it means to so many people, I would rather them take a year to figure out what they need to do than for someone to get seriously hurt.”
Luaders said she hopes protection of private property is a priority moving forward, especially for an event that deeply resonates with local musicians. Luaders’ husband plays bass in the rock band Dad Without Kids, which has performed at Porchfest for four years.
“I appreciate that it’s not a festival where you have to be a professional musician,” Luaders said. “All the people in my husband’s band have full-time jobs. This is like their annual way to do something fun for the community.”
A 32-year-old Virginia Highland resident (who declined to share her full name due to privacy reasons) was shocked at the decision to pause Porchfest, given that it’s “a landmark event” in the community. Along with her neighbors, she regularly hosts a pre-Porchfest party in her home.
Although she filled out the post-festival survey sent by the Virginia-Highland District Association, she said she would’ve appreciated more communication ahead of last month’s hiatus announcement.
McMurtrie noted that significant community input informed the decision to pause the festival, but he acknowledged more communication is needed, especially with businesses in the neighborhood.
“It’s our job to bring them along on the journey, so we take accountability for that. Without the businesses, there’s no reason for the Virginia Highland District Association, so we’re doubling down on our communications.
More community meetings for Porchfest 2028 planning will be announced soon.
“Porchfest was one of many events we do, but it became a bit of an iconic event because it grew so fast,” McMurtrie said. “With success comes responsibility.”