Big dogs stay on the porch at Cooper-Young Porchfest. So do the little dogs.
Bands — whether local or from out-of-town — perform on porches or in the yards of people who live or have businesses in Cooper-Young.
The annual event, which was held April 16th, is open to all bands, whether local or from out-of-town, says Amanda Yarbro-Dill, executive director of the Cooper-Young Community Association.
“The nice thing about it is it’s so egalitarian,” Yarbro-Dill says. “Bands can be some retired guys who like to play together. Or, a band you could pay a cover and go see at [Bar] DKDC.” “
This year’s event marked the first time I attended Cooper-Young Porchfest. And I’m so glad I did.
Bands actually performed on front porches and in yards. The weather was fabulous. The crowd wasn’t wall-to-wall people like the throng at the annual Cooper-Young Fest, which, don’t get me wrong, is also very, very fun.
In other words, it was a beautiful day to go to a festival.
I like the description of the event on the Cooper-Young website. Porchfest is “intended to be a grassroots celebration of spring, music, and Cooper-Young.”
The website also stated that the event was bringing back its annual community yard sale, which is held before the music begins.
“It’s kind of a perfect Cooper-Young day,” Yarbro-Dill says.
People can hit the yard sales in the morning, have lunch at one of the restaurants, and then listen to music all afternoon, she says. “It’s spring. It’s the best time. In April, if you can avoid the rain, it’s the best time to do anything.”
Yarbro-Dill, who lives in Cooper-Young, did not have a band perform on her porch. “I wanted to be able to get out and be free and see what the day was like instead of being tied to my house.”
So, what did she think about Porchfest? “I was super pleased. It was great every year, but this year felt just super good. The thing that I noticed when I was out is everybody was just happy to be out together. I never, literally, saw anybody act like an asshole.”
Yarbro-Dill didn’t have an exact figure for how many people attended, but she got some estimates talking to people while walking around. “I would say more than 500 people.”
This was the third year to hold the festival, she says. “The first year was 2021. And that year I didn’t know what to expect as far as how many bands would sign up. So, that year we had 40 bands and 20 porches sign up. Then last year in 2022 it basically doubled in size and we had 80 bands on 40 porches. This year, it was about 100 bands on about 40 porches.”
To be a host, you have to live in Cooper-Young, Yarbro-Dill says. “So it’s from Southern to Central going one way. And East Parkway to McLean the other way.”
If you missed Cooper-Young Porchfest this year, go next year. You’ll love it.
