BUFFALO, N.Y. —  What do you get when you combine a summer music festival and a block party? You get Buffalo Porchfest, an immersive one-day experience that extends down Elmwood Avenue and spills into side streets.

The Elmwood Village Association hosted its eighth Porchfest on Saturday, the first since 2019 as last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the bands, crowds and event organizers alike, it felt good to be back.

“It’s really good to see people out and about," said Tony Cairns, vice president of the Elmwood Village Association. "I know a lot of us have been stuck inside and we’ve really wanted to get out and see our friends and our family. And this is a great event that everybody can kind of get together and sit on a porch.”

Porchfest isn’t just porches; it’s sidewalks, parking lots, even on the street. And wherever the music is, the crowds will gather.

“You can kind of tell that everyone is friends, they’re family," Cairns said. "The other ones that are sitting down, they’re separated, they’re social distancing. It’s a very safe and fun event.”

With a variety of musical acts satisfying lovers of rap, rock, folk, and everything in between, there’s always a little something for everyone. This year’s offering featured over 60 porches, more than 100 bands, and five hours of fun. But don’t worry, no neighbors were disturbed in the making of this musical extravaganza.

“We did notify all the neighbors that we were going to be doing this,” Cairns said. “We sent out a thing that all the hosts could send out to their neighbors just so neighbors wouldn’t be unexpectedly surprised by the loud noise. But again it only goes from 1 to 6 [p.m.], so nobody’s usually napping around this time so hopefully everybody enjoys it.”

Cairns also said New York state guidelines for COVID-19 were enforced for all bands so that everyone could be safe while having a good time.