Rock U, which is made up of students in a Pennridge High School club, performs at the 2022 Perkasie PorchFest. (Credit: Bob Keeler-MediaNews Group)
The promoters of the Perkasie Porchfest have accused borough officials of imposing “bureaucratic barriers” in an effort to “wait out the clock” following the abrupt cancellation of the event.
Beginning in 2020, the Porchfest was an annual walkable musical festival held in downtown Perkasie, wherein neighbors offered up their front porches as DIY concert venues. The event steadily grew each year, with last year’s festival featuring 80 bands. The festival was promptly renewed for 2024, with planning beginning in May 2023.
However, in a now deleted social media post, the borough announced that the 2024 festival had been cancelled, citing “safety concerns.”
Following the announcement, the Porchfest promoters, including Corey and Heather Armideo, released a statement that pointed the finger squarely at the borough, alleging that their good faith efforts to coordinate the event were stymied by burdensome stipulations.
“From the jump we made good faith efforts to coordinate with the Borough in hopes we could flush out stakeholder concerns. We were transparent about our ideas and incredibly flexible with plans, drafting several layouts to accommodate apprehensions,” read the statement.
“Despite our best efforts, we were confronted by numerous, vague, and even contradictory stipulations while attempting to follow this process. We were told there should be no marketing or advertising, restricted from having vendors, told to cut the time by over half, leaving many past participants and porches out. Unfortunately, it is our conclusion that these bureaucratic barriers were raised in bad faith and that this was an effort to ‘wait out the clock.’
“By April, we felt our team was running out of time to organize a safe event and communicate with performers, attendees, and volunteers,” the statement continued. “As recently as Friday evening, April 19, we were under the impression there was a possibility for a salvaged event in Lenape Park for May 11, and we were discouraged from communicating publicly about the status of Porchfest. The Borough has since come out publicly with a profoundly disingenuous post on their Facebook, effectively canceling the event.”
In a recent Facebook post, Perkasie mayor Jeff Hollenbach stated that borough officials worked extensively with the promoters to ensure compliance with public safety measures following “documented” safety concerns during last year’s festival and that the special event application was eventually withdrawn by the applicants.
In their statement, the promoters acknowledged safety concerns from crowding and noise but contended that they took “all available precautions” to accommodate such concerns at this year’s festival.
“We understand that this is a large event, and with that comes reasonable concerns over logistics and safety that Perkasie Borough is not used to accommodating,” read the statement. “This is why we have spent over a year attempting to cooperate with the new ‘special event permit’ and have engaged with members of the Borough since this January to make Porchfest safe, fun, and sustainable.”
While the public event is officially cancelled, a private Porchfest event has been scheduled for May 11. In the Facebook post, Hollenbach warned that the event is barred from public property and must adhere to borough safety measures.
“A Special Event permit is required for any event on public property in the Borough, which includes streets and sidewalks. Large special events require the same safety measures used for Borough-sponsored events, with the promoters paying for public safety services and insurance,” said Hollenbach. “Perkasie Borough restricts use of its amphitheater in Lenape Park to Borough-sponsored events. Anyone planning to host musicians should notify neighbors on their block, be comfortable with the legal liability of hosting a show on their porch, and make sure to keep streets free and clear of pedestrians.”
However, Hollenbach stressed that the borough “respects the residents and businesses who wish to hold the private event” and will work to ensure the safety of residents.
“Perkasie Borough will make all possible efforts to provide a safe, secure, and sanitary environment, and to ensure the general welfare and public safety of its residents, as we do every day,” read the post, adding, “We respect and appreciate the promoters’ dedication to our community and hope to work with them on future events.”
The Porchfest promoters similarly expressed hope for a better working relationship with the borough in the future.
“It has been a privilege and a thrill to organize this event the past several years,” read the statement. “From the beginning it was the appreciation and energy from the Perkasie community that kept us going. We are hopeful for a better relationship with Perkasie in the future, and grateful for the support and interest from our neighboring municipalities.”
