2025 Crowdfunding Project!

Curbside Serenade is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission of advocacy for Street Musicians. We curate public performances in non traditional spaces such as parks, pedestrian plazas and Curbsides. For our fifth season we will continue to put on our beloved programing for the Portland community.

This includes Thursdays in Laurelhurst Park hosted by Johnny Franco. A free weekly variety show with Music, Comedy, Vaudeville acts and even a dog show! This show has grown from humble beginnings to a full on major production that is put on by two Brazilian brothers and a team of volunteers. We especially need your help to pay the performers, the Portland Parks permits and insurance that we need to put on this show that's become a staple of Portland culture.

Another important piece of our programing is Mt Tabor Monday hosted by David Pollack! Every Monday live music is curated overlooking the sunset. The past few years musicians have been payed from tips only! A goal this year is to supplement that with some budget from grants, sponsorship and most importantly YOU!!

We are asking for $10,000 to cover the permits, insurance and budget to pay performers! This will cover essential costs but does not include equipment and production costs.

Last year we paid

$2,086 for Portland Parks Permits
$960 for Insurance
$6,500 budget for paying performers in 2024!

A total of $9,546!

Other programming goals for 2025:

A Curbside Serenade Festival!
Collaboration with Farmers Markets
Youth focused busking showcases

How Curbside Serenade Was Born

Curbside Serenade started during the Covid shutdown of 2020 when founder Johnny Franco had the idea of performing on people's curbsides. He posted on Instagram that he was providing Curbside Serenades and his DM's exploded with inquiries. He would perform outside on the curbsides of peoples homes, local businesses and socially distantly in the Portland City Parks! It was how he made a living through the rocky months of 2020.
One Thursday two love birds hired Johnny for a Private Serenade in Laurelhurst Park. The Serenade went so well that he decided to come back the following week. And then the week after that… and so on and so forth the weekly show in Laurelhurst Park grew into the Portland staple it is today. A FREE sunset variety show that is unlike any other community experience!
At the beginning of 2021 Franco brought on local musician and entrepreneur David Pollack to expand the idea to include other musicians in Portland. They started an LLC and developed a roster of performers that could be hired out for private serenades. Similar to the conception of the Laurelhurst Park Serenade Series, Pollack got hired for a private Serenade on Mt Tabor overlooking the sunset and developed that experience into what is now Mt Tabor Monday.

In 2024 they disbanded their LLC and turned Curbside Serenade into a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Doing this enabled them a sustainable way of offering their programming with a conscious effort of keeping everything inclusive, all ages and highly accessible to the Portland community! Over the last five years Curbside Serenade has collaborated with Friends Of Noise, My Voice Music, Salt N Straw, Lardo, Alberta Street Last Thursday, Alberta Abbey PBOT/MusicPortland City Sessions and Dan & Louis Oyster Bar.

2025 Crowdfunding Project!

By Curbside Serenade

2025 Crowdfunding Project!

We greatly appreciate your donations! Our mission is to curate FREE public performances in non traditional spaces such as parks, pedestrian plazas and Curbsides.