Dear Editor: There are some things you simply can’t buy.
You can’t buy the excitement of hearing music echo through downtown. You can’t buy the moment someone stops to watch in awe or decides to join in after standing on the sidelines. You can’t buy the magic of an entire town gathering for the simple joy of community and artistic expression.
In early June, downtown Sitka became one big, wandering celebration. Friends caught up. Families explored. Food vendors kept everyone well fed. People came to see one thing and stayed for everything happening around them.
The Greater Sitka Arts Council created Sitka Porch Fest to give back to our community and make the arts more accessible. It is free and open to everyone. GSAC does not profit from the event. Every dollar received goes directly toward making the festival possible.
While GSAC organizes Porch Fest, it doesn’t belong to us. Not really. It belongs to the performers, artists, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, and organizations who bring it to life. Most of all, it belongs to the people of Sitka who make it their own.
For days afterward, photos, videos, and stories kept popping up. Everyone seemed to have captured a different festival. A video of children mimicking a tap-dancing street performer reached tens of thousands, but it was only one of countless unforgettable moments. No one saw it all. No one could have. And that’s the best part.
Thank you to every person, organization, and business who helped make Porch Fest happen – and to everyone who came downtown and helped create it.
Special thanks to producer Ember Livingston Emmons, whose creativity, patience, leadership, organization, and countless hours behind the scenes made this year’s event possible.
Mark your calendars: Sitka Porch Fest returns Saturday, June 5, 2027.
See you downtown.
Hannah Portello-Swagel
Porch Fest Co-Chair & GSAC Board President
Tonia Puletau-Lang
Porch Fest Co-Chair & GSAC Fundraising Chair
