Highland Square porches will once again become the stages for local musical acts when PorchRokr takes over a huge chunk of the neighborhood for its 13th year on Saturday, Aug. 16.

This year’s festival will be located on the porches north of West Market Street between North Portage Path and Merriman Road, with a northern boundary of Hereford Drive. (See map below.)

The annual outdoor music festival will feature performances from nearly 140 artists across 35 stages, playing everything from indie rock and rockabilly to hip hop to experimental funk and dirty blues rock.

The music starts at 11 a.m., and each act will play an hour-long set. This year’s headliner, Akronauts, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on the main stage — located this year on Conger Avenue between West Market Street and Edgerton Road near the Huntington Bank drive-thru tellers.

While music is PorchRokr’s main draw, the event will also feature a long list of vendors set up around the neighborhood as well as food trucks and tents (along with the Highland Square brick-and-mortar restaurants).

Mike Coduto, left, and Joe Risdon, right, of The Buffalo Ryders perform at PorchRokr.
Mike Coduto, left, and Joe Risdon, right, of The Buffalo Ryders perform at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)

Enjoy a pint of Kölschrokr, the festival’s signature beer created by the Cincinnati brewery Rhinegeist, along with Truth, JuicyTruth, Mango Bubbles and Cincy Light Lime in the Beer Garden located at the corner of North Highland Avenue and Dopler Street.

Parents of little ones can stop by the Kids Zone at Hereford Park at the intersection of Hereford and Wye drives for activities provided by Summit Metro Parks and the Akron Children’s Museum.

Those who want to start their day early can attend a free 1-hour All-Levels Vinyasa Flow! outdoor yoga class at 10 a.m. at The Merriman (209 Merriman Road), courtesy of Yoga Squared. More of a night owl? End your evening with live dance music from Umojah Nation at 9 p.m. at Mustard Seed Market & Cafe.

Attendees are welcome to bring chairs and blankets to the event, which takes place rain or shine. Bring your reusable water bottles to refill at hydration stations throughout the festival.

Parking is tight on a normal day in Highland Square, and even more so during events. PorchRokr officials recommend that attendees carpool, use Uber or Lyft, bike, walk or take the METRO RTA, which will be free all day.

The Modernes play original songs for a crowd of PorchRokr attendees.
The Modernes play original songs for a crowd of PorchRokr attendees at 255 Merriman Road in Highland Square on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Akron, Ohio. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)

If you’d like to volunteer for the event, fill out PorchRokr’s volunteer sign-up form. Have questions? Check out the PorchRokr FAQ.

Check out PorchRokr’s complete lineup below. The schedule is subject to change, so check porchrokr.org for updates.

Each number in front of the band name corresponds to the venue number on the map below.

11 a.m.

1  12 O’Clock Tribe
Roots Reggae Rock Fusion

3   Terry Ellis
Jazzy Folks Blues Originals

5   Esther Fitz
Soul, Jazz, Pop

7   Talk Less
Emo

9   Mr. Jeff 
Children’s Music!

11   Wolves For Walls
Soul, Shoegaze, RNB, Rock

13   Anna Beau
Acoustic, Indie

15   Big Void
Pop, Synth Rock

17   Soleo
Middle Eastern Prog Rock

19   Blind Boxing
Emo Punk

21   Inpatient
Psych Rock

23   Glass Bones
Alternative Rock

25   Cat Stanley
Alternative Rock

27   The Kristoffer Carter Show
Singer Songwriter

29   Yoga Music
Acoustic, Electronic Experi.

31   Lila Jean Donahue
Singer/Songwriter

33   The Office Drones
Rock

35   Time Cat
Rock

Aris Logsdon, left, and Anja Petrobic, right, enjoy a performance.
Aris Logsdon, left, and Anja Petrobic, right, enjoy a performance by Lovely Weather at PorchRokr, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)

Noon 

2  West Akron Fadeaway
Grateful Dead Covers

4  Mr. Rashaad
R&B, Hip Hop, Pop

6  Xposyur & 1Take
Hip Hop and Soul

8  Brian Lisik
Rock

10  I’d Like to go Home Now
Folk Rock/Alt Rock

12  Robert Branz of The Chants
Rock/Folk

14  The First Days of Spring
Indie Rock

16  Friendship Bracelet
Alt Rock

18  Morning Star Bluegrass
Bluegrass

20  Annadale
Indie Rock/Pop

22  Eleni Naomi
Soul Jazz

24 Sean Benjamin
Funky Alternative & Blues Rock

26  Jupiter 2
Intergalactic Surf & Turf

28  BC Hudson
Acoustic Rock & Blues

30  Jinari Kemet & The Black Jackets
Hip-Hop, Metal, Funk

32  Cult Kids
Rock

34  Alabaster  Boxer
Americana, Folk, Appalachian Emo

1 p.m.

1   Anya Van Rose
Trashcan Horn Rock

3   The Erie Street Troubadour
Original Bluesy Americana

5   Lilac Heart
Electronic, Hyperpop, Alt

7   Black Voltron
Hip-hop, Neo-Soul

9   The Black Beanz
Hip Hop/African Dancers

11  Empty Coats
Indie Rock

13  SmokeFace
Hip Hop Fusion

15  Proper Faces
Indie Rock

17  Soulshine
Blues, Rock, Funk

19  Cheap Heat
Blues, Rock, Funk

21  Rent for Cheryl
Blues, rock, jazz, pop, indie-alt

23  I Hate It Too
Alternative Rock

25  A Band Named Ashes
Progressive Folk-Hop

27  Toby Danger
Comedy Rock

29  Miss Dreadful
Dark folk

31  Sad Harris
Alternative Hip Hop

33  Dr. Fang and the Bats
Synth punk

35  Church of Starry Wisdom
Retro-futuristic pop-rock-opera

Vocalist and bassist Arianna Kefalas, 17, performs alongside the rest of her band, Compass.
Vocalist and bassist Arianna Kefalas, 17, performs alongside the rest of her band, Compass, at PorchRokr on Aug. 17 in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)

2 p.m.

2  The Delta Hand Band
Electric Blues

4  Kevin Ballard & The Detonators
Rock and Roll

6  DAMNAGEDKIDS
Hip Hop

8  Compass
Indie pop rock

10 Girl Cologne
Rock

12  Big Pop
Rock/Pop

14  The Cabin Sound
Indie Rock

16  GRAVERIDDEN
Rock/Metal

18  One Fine Day
Girl groups of the ’60’s-’80’s

20  Goody & The Gospel
Dirty blues rock

22 Judelyn (and The Moths)
Indie

24 Twin Atomic
Rock

26 The Mickeys
Celtic Rock

28 Bethany Joy
Indie Rock/Jazz

30  The MoeRons
Rock

32  Funeral Commercial
Rock/Shoegaze

34  Rye Valley
Groovy Americana

3 p.m.

1  Hunter Skeens & The Forerunners
Newgrass

3  James Matthew Haas
Solo Guitar Loops

5  COOP and a Guitar
Acoustic Rock

7  The Effangee Band
Rock, Americana, Blues

9  SHEP
Folk

11  One Piece Puzzle
Rock

13  Chanilla
Indie-Pop

15  Flock of Moons
Psychedelic hard/grunge rock

17  Supercop?!
Instrumental

19  Dave Rich & His Enablers
Rock

21  The Conway Brothers
Blues/Funk/Soul/Rock

23  Pink Maskerade
Punk, rock, alternative

25  Rubber City Ukes
American Songbook

27  The Buffalo Ryders
Alternative, Riff-Rock

29  Madison Cummins
Singer-songwriter

31  Scott Roger
50s/Pop Punk

33  Dr. Riffs
Rock, Heavy Metal

35  Xtra Crispy
Future Blues

PorchRokr attendees fill Morningside Drive near Sherwood Drive.
PorchRokr attendees fill Morningside Drive near Sherwood Drive in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. (Matthew Brown / Signal Akron)

4 p.m.

2  Canal Street Ramblers
Eclectic

4  SweetSour
Rock

6  Ataraxis
Alternative Rock

8  The Modernes
Y’allternative, Surf, Americana

10  Wednesday Demonstration
Punk Rock

12  Minus The Alien
Hip Hop

14  Timi Funk
Funk

16  Lake District
Rock/Alt Rock

18  F5
Rock

20  The Kahuna Kings
Instro/Surf

22  Lovely Weather
Alternative

24  The Twanglers
Americana

26  Cool Blue Planet!
Alt Rock, Obscure Classics!

28  Blue Hour
Indie Folk Rock

30  Rusty Soul Band
Rock

32  Shame Chamber
Rock

34  DaLo and the Band
R&B, Pop

5 p.m.

1   TRUSS
Folk/Americana, Indie

3   Guy Randall
Indie Blues Rock

5   Flames ohgod
Pop

7   Super Culture
Rock

9   Yacobucci
Alternative Pop/Rock

11  Out of Pocket
Rock Alternative

13  Ghost Slime
Nickelodeon Slime Rock

15  By Light We Loom
Indie Pop/Rock

17  The Junks
Grunge Punk

19  Easton Union
Americana/Roots Rock

21  Matthew Alec & The Soul Electric
Alternative, Pop, Punk, Rock

23  RED ROSE PANIC
Dynamic Hip Hop Band

25  DreamStates
Maximalist Pop Rock

27  Totally Destroyed
Rock

29  Christopher Soulsby
Blues, Americana

31  Joseph Franks
Folk Rock

33 InEther
Metal/Shoegaze

35  MASSIVE HOTDOG RECALL
Trashcan Horn Rock

6 p.m.

2  Pitch Blend Barbershop Quartet
Barbershop Harmony

4   Drunken Sunday
Rock, Funk, Reggae, Soul

6   Mo Turk
Hip Hop, Pop, DJ

10 Bwak Dwagon
Indie, Rock

12  Lady Melma
Indie Blues Funk

14  Towers
Indie Rock

16  Rockin’ Rabbits
Rock, Blues, mix

18  Euphoria Pleasant
African/Psychedelic Rock/Jazz Fusion

20  The Misery Jackals
Mountain Punk

22  Lowspot
Pop Rock

24  Shelby Olive
Indie/Pop/Singer-Songwriter

26  The Crones
All female 80s Rock

28  hand + noise
Indie/Psych Folk

30  So Nectar
Alternative/Emo

32  1402
Indie Rock

34  Hogan’s Last Smash
Ska, Punk, Emo

The schedule is subject to change — visit www.porchrokr.org for the latest times and locations.

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.

Culture & Arts Reporter (she/her)
Brittany is an accomplished journalist who’s passionate about the arts, civic engagement and great storytelling. She has more than a decade of experience covering culture and arts, both in Ohio and nationally. She previously served as the associate editor of Columbus Monthly, where she wrote community-focused stories about Central Ohio’s movers and shakers. A lifelong Ohioan, she grew up in Springfield and graduated from Kent State University.