For the city of Conway, Porchfest represents uncharted territory — a first-of-its-kind event that transforms front porches into performance stages and quiet residential blocks into walkable music venues. With bands spread across Conway’s Historic Residential District and crowds moving porch to porch, organizers say part of the excitement is not knowing exactly how it will unfold.
A schedule for the inaugural Conway Porchfest on Sunday, Feb. 15.
Conway Downtown Alive
On Sunday, Feb. 15, 20 homeowners, and one church, will have their front porches turn into live performance stages, welcoming bands, friends and strangers to their property to enjoy music in Conway from noon to 6 p.m.
Attendees will stroll from house to house, set up lawn chairs or blankets on front lawns, and enjoy music throughout the day. Twenty-seven musical groups will perform, ranging from jazz and classic rock to bluegrass, choirs, and more — offering something for every kind of music-lover.
A drone view captures the historic downtown residential neighborhood of Conway, where Porchfest will take place Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
The idea has been on Hillary Howard’s radar for the past two years. During a trip to Brunswick, Georgia, the executive director of Conway Downtown Alive attended Brunswick’s Porchfest, fell in love with the event and brought the concept back to Conway.
In the years since, leading up to 2026, she and other members of Downtown Alive have visited various Porchfest events across the South, gathering inspiration and ideas to bring to Conway for this weekend.
Howard hopes the event will give local musicians a chance to showcase their talents while encouraging visitors to explore Conway’s historic residential district and boost revenue in the area.
“We’ve got numerous folks that are coming into the area for Porchfest — I was kind of surprised, I thought this year might be more local folks, but we’ve heard of people driving up from Charleston and Florence and Wilmington,” Howard says. “You’ve got heads in beds, so they are spending money at a hotel. They’re eating here. They’re shopping here, so it’s bringing in revenue to our district.”