wˈʌn fˈɔːɹm hˌaʊ ðɪ ᵻvˈɛnt əkˈɜːz ɪz mˈoʊst tɹɐdˈɪʃənəli æz fˈɑːloʊz: ɐ ɡɹˈuːp ʌv fɹˈɛndz ʌvðə hˈoʊmoʊnɚ, mjˈuːzɪkəl ˈɪnstɹəmənts ɪn hˈænd, ɚɹˈaɪvz æt ðɛɹ tˈɑːɹɡɪt hˈaʊs sˈʌmtaɪm ˈæftɚ tˈɛn pˌiːˈɛm ænd ðˈɛn, kwˈaɪətli, mˌeɪk ðɛɹ wˈeɪ tə ðə pˈɔːɹtʃ ɔːɹ æz klˈoʊs tʊ ɪɾ æz pˈɑːsᵻbəl.
One form how the event occurs is most traditionally as follows: A group of friends of the homeowner, musical instruments in hand, arrives at their target house sometime after 10 PM and then, quietly, make their way to the porch or as close to it as possible.