This past weekend we celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Back Porch Festival, presenting 77 performances by 60 musical artists in 10 venues around downtown Northampton. It was great to see downtown Northampton teeming with people, and restaurants, shops and cafes appeared to be busy all weekend.

With the unexpected beautiful weather, we were able to bring some music outdoors thanks to our local Expandable Brass Band, who played to big crowds around town on Saturday.

On Sunday we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with performances of Celtic music and songs from Ireland. Big thanks to the Northampton Arts Council, who not only provided some funding, but also managed two of our venues and invited 15 artists to perform. We’re also grateful to the large team of volunteers and staff that made the event run smoothly and for our wonderful venues around town.

We had great support from the local business community including sponsorship from The Northampton Chamber Of Commerce, Northeast Solar, Dean’s Beans Coffee, Florence Savings Bank, Progression Brewery, Watermelon Wednesdays and Dead River Company plus support from Assemble, Woodstar Cafe, Hungry Ghost, Captain Jack’s Roadside Shack and others.

We’re looking forward to an even larger celebration for our 2025 festival with additional venues such as the Iron Horse, 33 Hawley and maybe even the Calvin Theater hosting events. We believe that The Back Porch Festival will continue to grow and be a showcase event for downtown Northampton and the entire region.

James Olsen

Signature Sounds, Northampton