Spokane Porchfest keeps growing

For the past three years, Porchfest has transformed the West Central neighborhood into a homegrown, daylong acoustic music festival. On Saturday afternoon, 20 homeowners will turn their front porches and into makeshift stages. The music starts at 3 p.m. and runs through 7 p.m. Here are a few things you should know about 2016’s Porchfest.

The concept of Porchfest originated in Ithaca, New York. The first Porchfest was held in 2007 as a means of uniting the music and arts scenes in Ithaca. The size of the event continues to grow, and other major cities, including San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have started their own Porchfests.

There are more than 20 musical artists participating in Spokane’s Porchfest. Last year’s Porchfest boasted 11 artists, and that count has doubled for the third Porchfest. Featured artists include Angela Marie, Ron Criscione and Nic Vigil of the salsa band Milonga.

There’s more than just music. Showcases for local poets will also be featured alongside the music. The names on this year’s roster include Thom Caraway, Chris Cook and Lauren Gilmore.

Porchfest is bike-friendly. If you’d rather not walk the fest, no problem: The organizers have created a helpful map that provides bikers with some helpful routes for navigating the neighborhood.