For the 10th year in a row, community members gathered in the sun-drenched streets of Binghamton’s West Side on Sunday, Aug. 31 to celebrate Porchfest — a day-long, family-friendly festival of local music that has cemented itself as a beloved regional tradition.

From noon until 7 p.m., over 130 acts performed live from 60 residential driveways, lawns and porches that wrap around the historic neighborhoods between Riverside Drive and Recreation Park. Borrowing from a concept originating in Ithaca, New York in 2007, Binghamton is among over 200 cities nationwide that sponsor Porchfest.

Christopher Bodnarczuk ’11, Binghamton Porchfest’s founder and director, embraces the event’s longstanding commitment to community by bringing thousands together across all ages and backgrounds to share a universal love for live music.

“It’s easy to stay siloed here, but a day like Porchfest is for everybody,” Bodnarczuk wrote in an email. “I can’t think of another event where toddlers dance alongside octogenarians to hip-hop and Grateful Dead cover bands. There’s students, there’s families, there’s community elders, tourists, government officials. There’s heavy metal and Christian music performing on the same block, seemingly in harmony.”

“We don’t get as many opportunities as we should in this world to come together with our neighbors from other walks of life to do something collective,” he continued. “Porchfest is for that.”

Porchfest showcases a range of genres and artists catering to its diverse audience, with a blend of original songs and iconic covers flooding through crowds of listeners. Local legends like Caviar & Grits drew dozens of dedicated fans onto College Street, while newcomers Ramblers, a female-led band of Binghamton University seniors established last spring, gained a brand new audience.

From The Interns’ jazz-inspired rendition of “Creep” soaring above Davis Street to the raw pop-punk instrumentals of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” erupting over Lincoln Avenue, attendees played it by ear and wander around the neighborhoods by scooter, stroller or foot in search of a set that called out to them.

“Every host, every band is a volunteer — essentially, they all create their own little concerts and we figure out how to schedule them with regards to sound and crowd balance throughout the neighborhood,” Bodnarczuk wrote.

Porchfest is the product of months of careful planning and collaboration, with coordinators like Katie Perkins of Binghamton working closely with the city to organize street closures, shuttle routes, free parking and law enforcement presence, among other logistics. Food vendors like Big Zues Barbecue and That Coffee Place were scattered between blocks, accompanied by the occasional homemade lemonade stand, magic show and garage sale sprawled across front yards. New this year was a curated artisanal market in Recreation Park, offering specialty crafts, gifts and more for sale to those passing through.

Perkins, who was awarded with keys to the city by Mayor Jared Kraham for her efforts in bringing Porchfest to life, reflected on the positive reactions she witnessed from those in attendance.

“It’s really great to see and hear from people throughout the festival [about] how happy everyone was, how amazing the music was, and just how electric the atmosphere felt,” Perkins wrote.

Dr. Dana Stewart, a Binghamton University associate professor of romance languages and literatures and Mountainview’s collegiate professor, who lives on the West Side, has participated in Porchfest as both a performer and host from the beginning. This year, Stewart and her husband Bob Rynone hosted three different bands at their home and featured several aspiring student musicians, giving many of them their first chance to showcase their talent to the larger Binghamton community.

Stewart describes the event as a wholesome “family affair” for several, with her son even joining in to accompany her own band, Dr. Dana & the Jam Dept., on the drums and guitar.

“From the moment we heard about Porchfest, 10 years ago, we were all in!” Stewart wrote. “We loved the idea of a music festival happening all throughout our neighborhood, and we loved the thought of turning our front lawn into a festival stage. Porchfest is such a wonderful celebration of live music, community, and also Binghamton itself — particularly the city’s West Side, our beloved neighborhood.”

Whether they’re longtime organizers or first-time attendees, Porchfest allows everyone to experience a unique side of the city that often goes unappreciated.

“I know it’s not the same experience that everybody has, but I fell in love with Binghamton when I moved here,” Bodnarczuk wrote. “I grew up in the middle of a bunch of cornfields so I found a sense of community here that I hadn’t known before. There’s an amazing, if undervalued, creative scene if you know where to look, and it’s only grown stronger in the past decade.”

“My hope is that Porchfest can be an introduction to that community each August for new and returning University students, as well as a bridging of the gap between the university and local community,” he continued.