Cooper-Young Porchfest started in the spring of 2021, when folks were freshly vaccinated for Covid, and many had deprived themselves of live music for the better part of the last year. So, I think it was really primed for a lot of enthusiasm starting in year 1. I had heard of the concept of porchfests and knew they existed, but a local musician brought the idea to me as something that might be perfect for Cooper-Young, and I got excited about figuring out how to best execute it here. Different porchfests have varying degrees of planning, but I’m the kind of person who really likes figuring out HOW to do something I’ve never done before, so I just kind of jumped in feet first and matched bands to porches.
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That first year, I told my partner that I’d be happy if 15 bands signed up — so I was super thrilled when 40 bands signed up to play on 20 porches! It was really exciting to me, and the weather was perfect. (In my opinion, the best months to do anything outdoors in Memphis are April and October, and the CYCA already hosts Cooper-Young Beerfest in October, so April was the natural best choice). We synchronized it with our annual community yard sale with the idea that we were engineering the perfect day in Cooper-Young — folks could come go to a few yard sales, grab lunch at a local restaurant, and spend the rest of the afternoon walking around, listening to music, running into friends, and stopping in for a beer or two or to shop along the way.
Since that first year, Cooper-Young Porchfest has grown steadily. In 2022, participation basically doubled and this year we have about 130 bands signed up to play on 45 porches. I think this is a great happening for a few reasons; primarily it is an all-volunteer driven event, with hundreds of people showing up with their time and talent, and residents offering up their homes for the sheer pleasure of playing and listening to music. Also, I love that it’s not an event that’s monetized. Attendees are urged to tip the bands, I make sure to make it as easy as possible by putting folks’ venmo info on the schedule, and when I first started putting this together, I was very hesitant to ask people to play for free — but I think Porchfest exemplifies that people love to share their talent to create joy. I have bands who are playing for the 5th year in a row — and I’m so grateful to all of them! People can really make magic together when you give them a chance and Porchfest is living proof of this.
Cooper Young Porchfest is Saturday, April 12, 2025: music starts at noon with the last shows scheduled at 5 PM. Yard sales will be happening across the neighborhood that morning. A map of yard sales and schedule of concerts will be available on the Cooper-Young Community Association website at https://cooperyoung.org/porchfest/ the week of the event.
This year’s CY Porchfest is presented by Steve Womack State Farm, and additionally sponsored by Bain Barbecue, TLC Closing, Central Barbecue, Memphis Whistle, Archer Recording Studio, and Cooper-Young Gallery & Gifts.
This blog was written by Amanda Yarbro-Dill
Amanda Yarbro-Dill is Executive Director of the Cooper-Young Community Association/Organizer of Porchfest.
