"November was such an awesome success with Porchfest 1, but we knew that we got really lucky with the weather." That's Matt Ackermann, one of PorchFest's main organizers, talking to This Is Rutherford in June 2024. He was explaining why the Rutherford Arts Committee had moved the event to the spring.
He said the team met with the Borough Administrator, the Police Department and communications head Kim Bogosian "to begin looking at dates in the spring for a permanent home for Porchfest." Their pick was "the middle of June."
That permanent home lasted one year. PorchFest 2026 is on Saturday, October 17. Rutherford Day, which had been set for late September, ended up on October 3. Between those two moves, this month now holds both of Rutherford's big community Saturdays, the last weeks of the farmers' market and the whole Recreation Department Halloween lineup.
The June Plan Ran Into a June Forecast
The first PorchFest ran on Saturday, November 4, 2023, with seven porches and 14 bands. The June 2024 edition doubled it. Ackermann said the committee found "13 homeowners to donate their porches across town to host 27 bands." The team built two loops so music played on two porches at once, and the day ended with a three-band finale on Stuyvesant.
The 2025 edition was set for June 14, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The borough's calendar listing still carries the notice that replaced it: "Due to the forecasted thunderstorms for Saturday, June 14th PorchFest 2025 will be rescheduled to the fall." The new date was October 11, 2025.
The organizers made the fall date work. The 2025 edition added Felician University's castle as a venue. Ackermann told This Is Rutherford it would have "the most bands of any porch this year, as well as castle tours (and restrooms open to the public)." It also had a closing porch for the first time, with the day ending on Home Ave. The borough's recap counted nine porches and 24 bands.
For 2026, the Arts Committee didn't go back to June. The borough page simply announces "PorchFest is back in 2026!" for Saturday, October 17. The calendar lists it from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., two hours longer than the original 2025 June listing.
Rutherford Day Followed It Into October
PorchFest wasn't the only event to move. Rutherford Day had been set for Saturday, September 26, 2026. This Is Rutherford still listed that date in a preview published on September 21. The borough then moved it to Saturday, October 3, from noon to 5 p.m. at Lincoln Park. The same notice canceled the September 26 Farmers' Market and Dining Out.
The borough's notice doesn't give a reason for the change.
Rutherford Day isn't small, so moving it shifts a lot. It's open only to Rutherford businesses and organizations, and the borough said more than 100 local vendors registered. The day included inflatable kids' rides, a scavenger hunt starting at the gazebo, and a Woman's Club of Rutherford toiletries drive for the Center for Hope and Safety. With that on October 3 and PorchFest on October 17, the borough's two big community Saturdays are now two weeks apart.
What PorchFest 2026 Looks Like So Far
Some details are set and some aren't, so it's worth separating the two before you plan your day.
Confirmed so far:
- Date and hours: Saturday, October 17, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., presented by the Rutherford Arts Committee.
- Signups: As of a September 25 story in The Record, about 41 musicians had signed up and the schedule wasn't final.
- At least one act: Singer-songwriter Chris Fox told The Record that his band Ruby Bones will play.
- Still recruiting: The borough page still asks porch hosts, musicians and volunteers to sign up through online forms.
When we checked, the borough's PorchFest page was still a call for porch hosts, musicians and volunteers, and it didn't show a porch map, a street list, a lineup or a rain date. Last year, This Is Rutherford ran its schedule preview the same week as the event. Check the borough's PorchFest page that week before you plan a route.
Fox gave The Record one reason the format works: "There's no barrier to entry, and no barrier to engagement." He pointed out that younger friends can't see local bands in bars until they turn 21, "but at a porchfest, any body can go." The same story names Rutherford's date alongside fall porchfests in Princeton, Asbury Park, Red Bank, Metuchen, Lambertville, Cranford and Hopewell. Montclair, Freehold and Highland Park held theirs in the spring.
"Porchfest is absolutely my favorite day of the year. It trumps Christmas and Thanksgiving for me." Matt Ackermann, to This Is Rutherford, October 2025
The Rest of October, Date by Date
The month is busy, and several events overlap, so it helps to see them in order. As of October 4, here's what's left.
- Every Wednesday and Saturday through October 31: The Rutherford Farmers' Market at Lincoln Park runs Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The borough lists the season as July 1 through October 31.
- Saturday, October 10: The borough's posted market lineup for this date includes Moca Coffee Co., St. Rocco's Treats, Kobb Chocolates, 201 Sauce Co., Busters Bees Hive Products, Candles by Katie, The Refill House and Lisa's Little Art Shop.
- Friday, October 16: Last day to register for the Recreation Department's Halloween House Decorating Contest.
- Saturday, October 17: PorchFest runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Saturday market runs until 2 p.m. that day, so the two overlap for the first three hours.
- Tuesday, October 20 through Thursday, October 22: Judging for the house decorating contest.
- Friday, October 23: Requested pre-registration deadline for the Ragamuffin Parade.
- Saturday, October 24: The Ragamuffin Halloween Costume Parade. Check-in is at 9 a.m. and the parade steps off at 10 a.m. from 56 Elliott Place, ending at Lincoln Park. It's open to Rutherford residents' children age five or younger.
- Saturday, October 31: The farmers' market's last scheduled day of the season, which falls on Halloween this year.
Through the whole month, the Recreation Department is also running a Jack-O-Lantern Photo Contest. To enter, email a photo of your carved pumpkin to [email protected].
Lincoln Park Is at the Center of Most of It
On the map, this month keeps coming back to one place. Rutherford Day was held at Lincoln Park. The market sets up there twice a week until October 31. The Ragamuffin Parade ends there on the morning of October 24, during Saturday market hours. If you have little ones in the parade, you can pick up coffee and treats from the market vendors at the finish.
PorchFest is the one big October event that spreads out across town. Its porches are in residential blocks rather than at a single park. Recent finales were on Stuyvesant in 2024 and Home Ave in 2025, and Felician's castle was one of the venues in 2025. On October 17, the morning market and the porch music run side by side. Start at Lincoln Park and walk out to the porches once the schedule is posted.
PorchFest went to June because the first November had good weather by luck, and a June storm forecast sent it back to fall. With Rutherford Day on October 3 and the market running through October 31, October 2026 holds PorchFest, Rutherford Day, the market's last four weeks and the full Halloween schedule.
If you're hosting a porch on October 17, or just walking past the porches and picturing your own house hosting a band someday, it's a good time to think about what your home's front step says to the street. At Alexa Micciulli, presentation is where every sale starts, from the curb to the camera. Ask Agent Alexa and schedule your free market consultation.
