(PHOTOS) Oakhurst Porchfest 2023
Casey Kline (center) performs with new band ATL Eclectic featuring members of the rock group Ssuround Ssound on Second Avenue during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Decatur, GA — The streets in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur were alive with the sound of music during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14.
Porchfest is an annual event in the Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood where bands and musicians pair up with local homeowners to put on a show for the community. With 215 acts of all types of musical genres who performed, there was something for everyone to enjoy during the free grassroots neighborhood music festival.
Bands don’t need to audition or have a certain skill level in order to participate, they just need to find a homeowner to host them and register together with the show’s organizers.
“There’s no gatekeeping to it, which is what I think is [what] really makes it powerful,” Mark Kelly, singer, guitarist, and keyboard player for Atlanta Rush Hour previously said. “Anyone can get up there, from a group of guys, a group of dads hanging out playing weird progressive rock to kids playing just their favorite tunes. So I think it’s a really important piece to making the music scene…just accessible, available and really growing it from the ground up.”
Ben Johnstone (Left) and Paul Sorohan enjoy a cold PBR during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
ATL Eclectic drummer Douglas Coore, Sr. brings his son Douglas Jr. up to play on a song during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Atlanta Rush Hour performs next to a Halloween graveyard on Mead Road during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
The Relics perform on Second Avenue during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
People record some memories during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
People listen to OWLS perform on Mead Road during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Origin Mile performs on a Maxwell Street porch during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
From left, Audrey Trujillo, Reny Stephenson and Sophie Trujillo listen to the music with Audrey and Sophie’s grandmother Annie York Trujillo during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Darolyn McConnell (Left) and Jim Eskew listen to Auction House Letters perform on Madison Avenue during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
The 1996 vocalist Anthony Mobley encourages audience participation during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Kelsey Williams (Left) and Andrea Adams enjoy the music of The 1996 on Oakview Road during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
C C Jaeger dances on Oakview Road while The 1996 cover some Red Hot Chili Peppers during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Auction House Letters performs on a Madison Avenue porch during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Eden Meloy, 6, creates some chalk art on Madison Avenue during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Drummer Douglas Coore, Sr. plays with ATL Eclectic on Second Avenue during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Porch hosts Kyle and Mallory Malden (3rd and 4th from left) enjoy the music of The Relics with friends at their Second Avenue home during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Austin Landers and Amanda Northcutt enjoy the music during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Blackfoot Daisy performs on Spring Street during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Block Captain Amber McGinnis keeps an eye on things at Spring and Oakview during Oakhurst Porchfest on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Oakhurst Porchfest hospitality on display. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Writer Anila Yoganathan contributed to this article.
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