South Boston Kicks Off Free Music Festival with 12 Performance Spots This May
A new music festival called Stoopfest will come alive in South Boston on May 31, bringing live music to 12 locations across the neighborhood.
The South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce teamed up to create this inaugural event. Musicians will perform on front porches, outside restaurants, and on street corners along a walkable route through the district.
This street festival takes cues from popular events like Somerville’s annual Porchfest, which features more than 300 performers. At that event, bands perform during three different two-hour time slots throughout their neighborhood.
By setting up stages near businesses, the May event hopes to increase foot traffic. Performance spots are placed near stores and restaurants, making it easy for visitors to shop and dine between shows.
The event relies on community involvement. Organizers are looking for residents to volunteer their porches and musical abilities for the performances.
Rain or shine, the shows will go on. With short distances between locations, families can easily catch their favorite performances.
The performance schedule isn’t public yet, but will be announced in March. All performances will be family-friendly.
Local artist Maureen Garrity contributed the festival’s logo – a donation to help build community spirit.
If successful, this one-time event could become yearly. Similar music festivals around Boston have taken off, like Somerville’s huge event that now hosts countless musicians across multiple time slots.
Music begins at noon on May 31. Look for maps and schedules when spring arrives.