Honk! Oct 5th – Oct 7th

HONK! Festival: 13th annual fest of activist street bands, this year totaling 28 plus with a wide variety of musical/activist events scheduled.

Going on thirteen years strong and remaining intense, the HONK! Festival’s game plan was initially conceived and implemented pop-up style in Somerville. Turns out, it was a great idea, which now has not only catapulted the creation of similar festivals across this land and beyond, it has also inspired rally organizers everywhere to engage HONK!-style bands when planning urgent street gatherings to effect positive change.

This year the HONK! bands total 28+, with the majority coming from across the US & Canada. Visit http://honkfest.org/2018-festival/bands-2018 for this year’s list of participants.

If the rallying cry is for spur-of-the-moment action, no worries, since there just may be a HONK! band close by to pep up the rally a notch or three. Part of the beauty of the HONK! concept is that it has inspired musicians and would-be musicians, many of whom are not geared to parading in the streets, into modifying how they approach their style, so they too can pick up and go. Wearable drum kits, backpack amps, melodicas galore. Where there’s a will to act musically, there’s a way to do it pro-actively. Any New Orleans street musician can serve as a role model.

HONK! means serious business when it comes to waging peace and social justice, but the HONK! vibe also brings fun to this equation. By disturbing complacency, a rousing brass and percussive spectacle is impossible to ignore. HONK! builds community, encouraging participation by way of rambunctious music, uninhibited dancing, wild costumes, and evocative visual street art.

For complete information and continuous updates on the HONK! Festival and the many activities planned, visit http://www.honkfest.org, http://www.facebook.com/honkfestival, and http://www.twitter.com/honkfest.