HONK! Festival

HONK! Festival HONK! is an annual gathering of activist street bands that converges in Davis Square, Somerville, MA. www.honkfest.org

Across the country and around the world, a new type of street band is emerging. Acoustic and mobile, borrowing repertoire and inspiration from a diverse set of folk music traditions – New Orleans second line brass bands, European Klezmer, Balkan and Romani music, Brazilian Afro Bloc and Frevo traditions, as well as the passion and spirit of Mardi Gras and Carnival– these “honkers” all share a comm

itment to several core principles. Metaphorically speaking, they honk their horns for the same reasons motorists honk theirs: to arouse fellow travelers, to warn of danger, to celebrate milestones, and to just plain have fun. COMMITTEE
John Bell, Alison Earnhart, David Blank-Edelman, Trudi Cohen, Ken Field, Reebee Garofalo, Harris Gruman, Cecily Miller, Cherai Mills and Eric Sutman

📣 Attention, activist street bands! The applications for this year's HONK! Festival in Somerville, MA are now open!If yo...
03/30/2026

📣 Attention, activist street bands!

The applications for this year's HONK! Festival in Somerville, MA are now open!

If your band would like to be considered for this year's festival, just follow the application link in our Instagram bio to let us know.

This year's festival dates will be October 8-11.

We look forward to HONKing with you all again!

📯❤️

"The parade was the conclusion to Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands, a three-day event celebrating different forms...
10/23/2025

"The parade was the conclusion to Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands, a three-day event celebrating different forms of art for activism, featuring concerts, dance parties and banner and lantern making. "

On Sunday, Oct. 12, local activist organizations and activist street bands from across the country filled Harvard Square for a spectacular parade to celebrate 20 years of street music activism.

HONK! Festival Parade held on October 12, 2025, video courtesy of "The Somerville Times":
10/23/2025

HONK! Festival Parade held on October 12, 2025, video courtesy of "The Somerville Times":

Somerville, MA: Over thirty bands took to the roads of Somerville Sunday for the annual HONK! festival, celebrating reclaiming the streets for “horns, bikes,...

"A riot of marching band extravagance clotted the arteries of every park, plaza and street with technicolored perambulat...
10/17/2025

"A riot of marching band extravagance clotted the arteries of every park, plaza and street with technicolored perambulations of brassy joy. Double-barreled tubas painted like dragons breathed fire down the boulevards. Bears played bass drums strapped across their hairy chests. Nickel-plated majorettes danced." (Michael Gutierrez, columnist, "Cambridge Day")

Article link: https://www.cambridgeday.com/2025/10/16/what-mourning-morse-says-of-the-generations-and-watching-honk-with-the-right-kind-of-eyes/

Image link to: "The Brass Liberation Orchestra from California’s Bay Area plays the Honk! festival Saturday in Somerville’s Davis Square": https://cambridgedaymediafiles.s3.amazonaws.com/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/15203514/251016i-Attend.jpg

Just a reminder that activist musicians really do put themselves on the line when they go out to demonstrations.
10/15/2025

Just a reminder that activist musicians really do put themselves on the line when they go out to demonstrations.

One of our members was taken by the Feds across the street from the ICE building yesterday while peacefully protesting (playing music!). She has been transferred to Clark county jail. If you have a few free minutes to help out, please call and demand her release. Thank you!

We’ll see you at No kings on Saturday!

‘Raises Your Spirits’: 46th Oktoberfest Features HONK! and Filipino American Festival.
10/15/2025

‘Raises Your Spirits’: 46th Oktoberfest Features HONK! and Filipino American Festival.

Thousands of people gathered in Harvard Square this Sunday despite rainy weather for the 46th Oktoberfest, with activist performances, food, and cultural celebration.

HONK! this past weekend in today's Globe (hard copy version).
10/13/2025

HONK! this past weekend in today's Globe (hard copy version).

HONK! Festival coverage in today's Boston Herald (includes link to epaper app version for non subscribers):https://www.b...
10/13/2025

HONK! Festival coverage in today's Boston Herald (includes link to epaper app version for non subscribers):
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/10/12/honk-parade-brings-music-to-the-streets-of-somerville-cambridge/
and
https://enewspaper.bostonherald.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=f46d9d4b-774a-471a-b59a-2d44e3c4eebc&share=true

Over thirty bands took to the roads of Cambridge once again Sunday for the annual HONK! festival, celebrating reclaiming the streets for “horns, bikes, and feet.”

Address

Somerville, MA

Website

http://www.youtube.com/honkfestival, http://instagram.com/honkfestival

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