A neighbor's guide to Somerville's PorchFest

On May 9, Somerville’s side yards, porches and driveways will fill with music for one of the largest PorchFests in the region.

“There's not much that is more wonderful than the romance of wandering from place to place and being pulled in by the music that catches your ear,” soul singer Jill McCracken observed.

More than 530 bands are slated to perform. You can chalk the size of that roster up to a city that’s full of moonlighting artists.

“You’ve got bands sleeping on top of bands,” Watson Park vocalist Evan Joseph Ringle explained.

Dating back to 2011, the magic of this annual city-wide festival lies in its decentralized, do-it-yourself spirit. Thousands meander from free concert to concert organized by residents and overseen by the Somerville Arts Council. “Everyone's playing everywhere,” regular PorchFest performer DJ Saucy Lady marveled. “It's heavenly.”

This unique spirit, however, can leave a few questions unanswered. Where are the bathrooms? What do I wear? Where do I eat? How am I supposed to decide who to go see in this overwhelming line-up? This is everything you need to know to have a neighborly good time based on interviews with attendees, musicians, and city officials.

Somerville’s PorchFest is split into three two-hour sessions across three zones. Concerts run from noon to 2 p.m. in West Somerville around Davis Square and Tufts University, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Central Somerville around Porter and Magoun squares, and from 4 to 6 p.m. in Union Square and East Somerville.

Most attendees follow the crowds and their ears, stopping at any porch or yard that piques their curiosity. As it has grown, the festival has become a unique exposure opportunity. “We can just roll into our front yard and play to a couple hundred people,” Ryan DiLello of Otis Shanty said. It’s a convenience that attracts a wide swath of artists. There’s something here for everyone.

If you’re feeling some early energy at noon, head toward the blaring of the Good Trouble Brass Band, or try Jill McCracken’s upbeat soul music. Still waking up? Chill out with indie music in the vein of Elliott Smith played by Watson Park. Once 2 p.m. rolls around, you might head to Dr. Beaver for a unique blend of folk and Mandarin rock, or help yourself to some transcendent jazz with Quantum Moon. Capping off the day with a heavy noise rock band like RONG might not be for everyone, but why not try something new? Or go for the more atmospheric rock of Otis Shanty. If you haven’t danced enough yet, DJ Saucy Lady will be spinning a mix of every genre known to get you moving.

You can find every band on a map put together by the Somerville Arts Council. Event Manager Iaritza Menjivar warned that the site has had difficulty keeping up with traffic on the day of the festival, and suggested plotting a potential route beforehand.

However, most plans tend to fall apart on the day of, and that’s a good thing. For RONG drummer Adric Giles, it’s about the discovery. “It's amazing to get to peer into somebody's world for a second and see what they're working on creatively,” he said

Some things do remain constant. Finding a toilet is such a consistent challenge at PorchFest that the city doubling its porta-potty count this year made a Boston Globe headline. That amounts to 98 temporary public toilets set up around Somerville, mostly along the city’s Community Path. “With over 500 bands participating, I worry that no amount of portable restrooms will feel like it's enough, unfortunately,” Menjivar said. The city will mark the location of the toilets on its PorchFest map, and a backup map is available through Google Maps. If all else fails, track down one of the more than 50 volunteers in a blue PorchFest shirt.

Navigating the city is best done on foot. Even though the city has banned concerts on many of the main thoroughfares, “driving around is not a good idea,” Menjivar warned. Fortunately, Somerville is accessible by MBTA via the Red, Green and Orange lines.

This festival happens rain or shine. So, as McCracken put it, “invest in the day.” Check the weather and grab the appropriate sunscreen or umbrella. Stay hydrated. Wear the shoes that feel best for walking and dancing for up to six hours. “Bring some earplugs,” Giles advised.

There are plenty of local options to fuel and refuel. Start your day in Davis Square with Nine Bar Espresso and a breakfast sandwich from Shirley Eat More Sunshine. Grab a mid-day snack at Forge Baking Co. or Olde Magoun’s Saloon. Come dinnertime, you have your pick of the many vendors in Bow Market or sit-down spots like Celeste and June Bug.

Expect lines pretty much everywhere, though. If you’re set on a nonstop day of music, maybe you pack a picnic, or maybe you rely on the kindness of strangers. There’s inevitably a handful of neighbors who fire up their grills. If you play your cards right, there’s a free burger in your future.

This is what defines PorchFest and its success in Somerville – neighbors looking out for neighbors. It’s something that Ringle noticed as soon as he moved here three years ago. “Somerville is a community where we try to take care of each other,” he said.