Crowds gather to enjoy live music during 7th annual Porchfest

JACKSON, Tenn. — One Hub City neighborhood fights off the heat Wednesday evening as they celebrate 731 Day.

It’s the 7th annual Porchfest hosted by Our Jackson Home. The music event takes place in the Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association, or the ‘LANA’ neighborhood, in midtown Jackson each year.

Porchfest could be one of the most unique annual events in West Tennessee. And staying true to its namesake, it brings people to the porches of five houses in Westwood Gardens for a concert at each stop.

“We block off the roads here in midtown and we go from house to house for live music performances and visual artists help design and decorate the stages,” said Lizzie Emmons, program director for Our Jackson Home.

For those who attended, the plan was simple. You started at stop one, where Aisha D. Dubose played. Stop two, the band Paper Watch, stop three Alice Hardin, stop four, Jamir OTB, and for the final stop, Izzy Arthurs.

“We’re going to have some different kinds of genres so there’s something for everybody, so even if these particular guests, you know some people might not be into jazz, maybe they’ll be into indie, or hip-hop, or rock, or americana,” said Emmons.

This is an event that, in order to function at its best, really leans on what Emmons calls the tight knit and neighborly community that is the Lambuth Area Neighborhood Association.

“We all love to support the arts. We love live music art. So it’s just a good fit for us. It’s a good vibe,” said Emmons.

As for the future of Porchfest, Emmons told us, they’ve toyed with the idea of making it a summer series but says the community prefers to keep it in LANA on 731 Day.

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