Friday, October 2, 2026
Thirty-three porches, driveways and lawns became stages on Sept. 19 as the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce presented its eighth-annual Playing on the Porch, bringing live music to neighborhoods throughout the village.
From rock, pop and Americana to country, folk, blues, punk, classic rock, acoustic music and a cappella, the event offered something for a wide range of musical tastes. The nearly three-dozen performers and groups spread throughout Rockville Centre from 3 to 6 p.m., giving residents an opportunity to enjoy live music in an informal neighborhood setting.
With many of the performance locations situated relatively close to one another, people were able to walk or ride their bikes between venues, making their way through the different neighborhoods while taking advantage of a beautiful late-summer day.
One of the liveliest areas was Yale Place, which was closed to traffic between North Village and Harvard avenues for the event. Three houses hosted performances, creating a festive stretch of the block as more than 100 people visited throughout the day to listen to the music.
Performers on and around Yale Place included Shades of Brown, Chloe Simmons, Nico Padden, The Stone Posers and Tod Hedrick. The Stone Posers performed songs from The Stone Roses’ 1989 debut album., while Hedrick brought a decidedly different sound to the afternoon, performing music from the Middle Ages and The Beatles to the Baroque period on a seven-string fretted viol.
Simmons, a sophomore at Oceanside High School, was among the festival's younger performers. She recently received All-State honors for songwriting, a rare accomplishment for a high school student.
For Simmons, taking the stage alongside more experienced musicians was both intimidating and exciting.
"It's terrifying, but awesome," she said. "I performed at the Long Beach porch fest, and that was really fun."
Other performers brought acoustic, classic rock, 1980s, country and Irish music; indie rock; singer-songwriter and acoustic pop; classic rock and blues; alternative rock; punk; and music spanning several decades. The band Randsome was billed as a rock group featuring students from South Side and Oceanside high schools.
The variety was part of the appeal of Playing on the Porch, with residents able to create their own musical itinerary rather than staying in one place. A walk or bike ride could lead from one neighborhood performance to another, turning the event into both a music festival and a community-wide outing.
