PORCHELLA Comes to the Neighborhood

Music of many genres filled the air on a late December night in Colonial Place as Porchella 2022 finally kicked off. After a reschedule—from a frigidly forecasted original date that would have impacted attendance and musicians’ vocal chords—the event got underway at 6:30 pm on December 30, 2022.

The brainchild of community organizer, artist, and former landscape designer, Cristina Fletcher, the event was a follow-on of the highly successful Ghent Porchella during COVID.  She explains, “Richmond had one that I’d heard about, and I thought it would work in Norfolk. It was the end of 2020, as COVID was easing up, and things seemed safe for outdoor events. People were starting to do things again.” She thought her musician friends, and other area musicians, would appreciate the opportunity to play live music again after the lockdown. Cristina happened to live in a house with a great party porch, so she started spreading the word. That eventually evolved into Ghent Porchella, which included musicians Skye Zentz and Paper Aliens. The event spread throughout Ghent and met with tremendous success.

When Cristina’s parents moved to Colonial Place last summer, she knew it would be a perfect neighborhood for a second Porchella. She contacted the Civic League in November, and the board embraced the idea. The request went out for musicians, and host porches, and the neighborhood was soon on board. A schedule started to come together, and Porchella 2022 was born.

The music ranged from acoustic to rock, improvisational jazz, EDM, and more. Musicians included Allegra Duchaine, Rebecca Schultz, duo Nick Werner, and Tom Tompkins, and the band Times New Roman. Set against a backdrop of festive holiday lights and a variety of porches, attendees enjoyed 30-minute mini-concerts for over two hours.