Ithaca Porchfest 2026 Details, Performers, Schedule and Map

ITHACA, N.Y. — Porchfest returns on Sunday, September 20, running from noon to 6 p.m. across the Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods north of downtown.

Organizers have booked 174 performers and groups at 109 porches, and say the count also covers driveways, lawns and parks used as performance sites. The performer list, schedule and map are now posted on the festival website.

Admission is free, and there are no tickets. The event is open to anyone who wants to attend.

The 2026 lineup

The poster lists every act alphabetically, from 10 Square Miles to Zeke and the Geeks. Porch assignments and set times are not on it: those are on the 2026 schedule and the 2026 map.

Many of the names carry a local reference. The list includes the Fall Creek Brass Band, the Finger Lakes Fiddle Orchestra, the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble, the Cornell Campus Club Performance Group and Friends, Rockvoices Ithaca, Taksim Ithaca, the Savage Club of Ithaca, Ithaca Ukes & Hula Hut Dancers, Ithaca Suzuki Music Education Cellos & Violins and Six Mile Craic. The Workin Folks String Band, the group in this article’s lead photograph, is on the list again.

Also on the list are Christopher Beiswanger and Mark Maynard, who play back-to-back slots on Lake Avenue, and Motherwort, booked on North Tioga Street.

The 18th edition in the 20th year

Porchfest was founded in Ithaca in 2007, which makes 2026 the 20th year. Organizers count it as the 18th edition, because the festival did not run in 2020 or 2021.

How it works

Musicians play from the porches of houses in the two neighborhoods. There is no main stage and no single site, and attendees move between porches on foot over the six hours.

The full schedule, performer list and map are published at porchfest.org. Organizers say the site works on mobile devices and is the most current source during the event itself.

From 20 bands to an export

Porchfest was started in 2007 by neighbors Gretchen Hildreth and Lesley Greene, after some outdoor ukulele playing and a conversation between neighbors. They recruited 20 bands for the first one. The artist Nina Widger took part in the planning and made the festival’s artwork that year and for several after.

The organizing group grew with it. Andy Adelewitz joined in 2013. Robbert Greene wrote the scheduling software in 2014. Katie Foley has organized the food trucks since 2018.

By 2016 the number of performers had reached 185. Roughly 100 volunteers now work the event on the day, in two-hour shifts.

The Ithaca festival is the original, and the format has since been copied in more than 260 other places across the United States, Canada and Australia that the organizers know of.

PorchFEAST food vendors in two parks

Food vendors are set up in two locations. Thompson Park, at the corner of Cayuga Street and West Marshall Street, hosts Babe’s Burger, a family-owned burger shack, Cayuga Lake Creamery, which makes its own ice cream, and two stands from Silo Food Truck, one serving fried chicken and mac and cheese and one serving specialty french fries.

Auburn Park, at the corner of Auburn Street and Adams Street, hosts Caribbean Patty World, which makes chicken, beef and spinach patties, The Last Stand, serving barbecue, soul and island street food, On the Street Pitas, with gyros, pitas, salads and rice bowls, Sugar Lips, selling ice cream, fried dough, Oreos and spiedies, and Yxi’s Arepas, serving Venezuelan and Mexican street food.

Makers Market and merchandise

The Makers Market returns for a fourth year with more than 20 artists and artisans in Auburn Park, selling paintings, clothing, jewelry and baked goods among other work.

The list of participating makers includes Abigail McKalsen Art, Abigail Tessier Artist, Art of Yen Ospina, Aurora Bath & Beauty, blakeart.work, Blue Fern Flower Farm, Crystalized Goddess, Cute engine creations, Guppy Moss, Julian Plum Illustration, KBerg Ceramics, Magic Little Nook, Midas Menagerie, Mimi’s Attic, Mossy Willows Studio, MysticRoot Creations, Northeast Fudge Bar, Oracle Chocolates, Pluck and Whimsy, Quickdraw Studio, Santamaria Jewelry and Crafts, Snail Boat Studio, Twin Cat and What’s in the Jar.

This year’s Porchfest artwork was made by Kelby Woodside of Snail Boat Studio. Sunny Days of Ithaca will sell it on t-shirts, tote bags and other merchandise in Thompson Park.

Street closures

Several blocks close to traffic for the afternoon, either because food vendors are set up on them or because organizers expect large crowds. West Marshall Street and the section of Auburn Street between Jay and Dey close from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the food vendors. The full closure list:

• All of West Marshall Street
• Auburn Street, from Jay to Dey
• All of Utica Street
• All of East Jay Street
• All of Lewis Street, West and East
• East Yates Street, from Cayuga to Aurora
• East Marshall Street, from Cayuga to Aurora
• Willow Avenue, from Marshall to Franklin, with crossings staying open at Madison and Hancock
• North Tioga Street, from Tompkins to Farm
• North Aurora Street, from Tompkins to Farm
• Adams Street, from Dey to Auburn

Residents whose cars are parked on a closed street can ask a volunteer at the nearest traffic barricade for an escort out, and volunteers will also help residents get back in.

Parking

Organizers say there is street parking around the neighborhood and that arriving before the closures begin at noon makes finding a spot easier. Two downtown parking garages sit a few blocks from the festival area, at 120 East Green Street and 235 South Cayuga Street.

There is no parking on West Marshall Street, or on the 200 block of Auburn Street between Lewis and Dey, starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday, September 20, so that food vendors can set up.

Maps, water and the hotline

Printed map and schedule booklets cost $1 at the Dustin Stuhr Memorial Porchfest Information Tent in Thompson Park, a price organizers say covers printing. The booklet is free with a donation of a dollar or more. Water bottles are also $1 at the same tent.

Porchfest runs rain or shine. Organizers ask attendees to move indoors or to a vehicle in severe weather, and say they will post to the festival’s social media accounts if such conditions are expected.

The festival is still looking for volunteers for parts of the day, through the volunteer page on its site. During the event, organizers can be reached by text or call at 607-319-2770, or by email at info@porchfest.org. They note that texting works better against the noise.

How it is paid for

Porchfest is funded in part by a Tompkins County Community Celebrations grant, along with a percentage of merchandise sales, fees from vendors and donations from neighbors.

Organizers list the festival’s costs as insurance, permits, private security, portable restroom facilities, and other equipment and personnel.

The 2026 performers, schedule and map are posted on the festival’s site.

Ithaca Porchfest, Sunday, September 20, 2026, noon to 6 p.m., in the Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods of Ithaca, New York. Free admission. Food vendors in Thompson Park at Cayuga and West Marshall streets and Auburn Park at Auburn and Adams streets. Funded in part by a Tompkins County Community Celebrations grant. 2026 artwork by Kelby Woodside. Lineup poster courtesy of Porchfest. Photograph by Pete Brooks.

Sources: Everything to know about Ithaca’s 18th annual Porchfest, September 13, 2026, 2026 performers, 2026 schedule, 2026 map, 2026 vendors, Porchfest history, Porchfest volunteer page, Wikipedia, The Ithaca Times festival guide.