Porchfest N.D.G. will bring music to entire neighbourhood
Roaming bands entertain residents in ‘semi-spontaneous’ cultural event
Notre-Dame-de- Grâce will be hopping this weekend as Porchfest N.D.G. gets into full swing with live bands performing for free on porches and front lawns from Marlowe to Connaught Aves.
Porchfest N.D.G. is kicking off on Saturday at 11 a.m. with an opening show at the N.D.G Food Depot where crowds can pick up maps, schedules and merchandise. There will be 95 performances throughout N.D.G. on Saturday and Sunday. Bands like Crackers and Jam, Hard Red Spring and Knocking Sparks will be playing on side streets such as Oxford, Regent and Montclair Aves.
“There are a few shows that start everywhere, but the majority start in the east and move west,” said co-coordinator Aurora Robinson. “We really want to draw attention to the side streets and to the residential areas, because it is about neighbours.”
A full schedule can be found on the Porchfest N.D.G. website in advance. All donations collected will go toward improving the Westhaven-Elmhurst Community Association’s music education resources and programming for local youth.
“Everybody that has been to Porchfest cannot wait until the next Porchfest,” said Robinson, noting the first one was in 2015. “It’s something that people really look forward to in the neighbourhoods, which is really heartwarming.”
After hitting the pavement to hang up posters, chat with business owners and spread the word about the upcoming event, co-coordinator Sarah Ring said the reception has been “really positive.” She said she loves the music and watching people come together around a common interest.
“It’s great to see residents out having a good time during an event that is free for all and free of corporate sponsorships,” Ring said.
Sean Madden will be performing with the Hampton Street Coffee Grinders for the band’s second Porchfest. The band will, starting at 1 p.m., be playing at 2270 Hampton Ave. on Saturday.
“It’s great to have N.D.G. buzzing and having people on our side of town that might not come here very often,” said Madden, owner of Encore Books and Records on Sherbrooke St. W., corner of Harvard Ave.
Madden, who also participated in 2015 with a different group, added, “The last two years, it’s felt electric in N.D.G.”
Juliana Just Costa will be performing with her brother, Jesse Just Costa. The songwriting N.D.G. natives call themselves Juliana & Jesse. Their Sunday performance, taking place at 2343 Hampton Ave., begins at 1 p.m.
“It was just so much fun,” she said, remembering last year’s show. “We had the whole street filled with people.”
N.D.G. councillor Peter McQueen described the event as “the ultimate N.D.G. festival: Creative, semispontaneous, bilingual, dispersed, and, most of all, dependant on the weather. The forecast is looking good right now.”
Along with some contributions from elected officials, Porchfest is assisted by Notre-Dame-des-Arts, a charitable organization based in N.D.G. that formed 18 months ago. It is dedicated to supporting arts and culture in the community. While working to strengthen connections between artists and art collectives, the aim is to provide a fundraising and promotional platform for local events and art projects like the Off The Wall Film Festival, NDG Arts Week, the NDG Art Hive and others.
“Many people don’t realize how much talent there is in N.D.G., which is part of the mission of Notre-Dame-des-Arts — to bring that talent out of the closet,” said Paul Scriver, the organization’s president.
In the continued effort to support local artists, a fundraising gala is planned for the evening of June 8 at the Monkland Tennis Club. Fundraising goes to commissioning artists and organizers to produce cultural events and initiatives in N.D.G.
“What’s amazing about Porchfest N.D.G., is that they manage to do it all on a shoestring,” said Scriver. “There’s hardly any money that goes into it and it has such a huge impact on the neighbourhood.”
We really want to draw attention to the side streets and to the residential areas, because it is about neighbours.