HONK!, also known as HONK! Fest, is a festival of activist street bands held annually on Columbus Day weekend in Somerville, Massachusetts. Each year since 2006, an all-volunteer organizing community invites more than 25 bands from around New England, North America, and the world to participate in this free three-day event that showcases acoustic and ambulatory bands playing free music in public spaces. Since its inception, it has inspired additional HONK! festivals in other locations.
HONK!s so far have been staged in Somerville, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; Providence, Rhode Island; New York, New York; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Although each festival is locally organized and there is no central HONK! authority, they share common features. Each HONK! invites twelve to over thirty bands, who play multiple sets in outdoor public spaces over the course of two or three days. These shows are free to attend. Some HONK!s also feature a parade. The festivals are volunteer-run and get support from local sponsors.
The bands invited to play at HONK! share common characteristics: they are ambulatory; they use instruments that can be simultaneously carried and played; and they utilize little or no electronic amplification. As a result, the bands are able to play while moving. There is no generally agreed-upon label for this type of band; labels in use include "activist street band," "radical marching band," and "community street band."
Although many of the bands that play at HONK! have the phrase "marching band" in their names, they bear only superficial resemblance to a traditional marching band. Traditional marching band characteristics derive from their military history: they tend to feature regimented, synchronized movement and matching uniforms, and play music that has been composed and arranged in advance, with the goal of presenting the band as a cohesive unit without any differentiation between individual members. Band members are typically drawn from and affiliated with some larger organization, such as a school.
A HONK!-style street band, on the other hand, more often tends to encourage the individuality of its members: it may have a theme to its garb rather than a uniform, with individual members free to implement that theme in a manner of their own choosing; similarly, its music may offer more chances for improvisation. Many HONK! bands incorporate traditional marching band instrumentation, sometimes augmented with other instruments or vocalists; others use instrumentation drawn from non-Western music traditions, such as those of a Brazilian samba school. A HONK! band may exist for a specific purpose—some perform primarily at activist events, for instance—but they are typically autonomous entities not affiliated with another organization.
The longest-running HONK! has taken place in Somerville, Massachusetts' Davis Square neighbourhood every October since 2006. It was begun by a committee of members from a Somerville activist band, The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band, who saw the need for a gathering of like-minded souls interested in applying the joy of music to the work of promoting peace, social justice, and civic engagement. Since 2007, it has included a parade titled "Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet!" The parade features the bands along with other non-musician participants, including puppeteers and visual artists such as the Bread & Puppet Theater and organizations that promote transportation alternatives and environmental and social justice, such as Bikes Not Bombs.
HONK NYC! was born in 2007 when the The Pink Puffers (Rome, Italy), Environmental Encroachment (Chicago), and March Fourth (Portland, Oregon), visited New York City following that year’s HONK! in Somerville. Events around the city included a dinner party at the space The Change You Want to See on Havermeyer Street, hosted by members of Brooklyn’s Hungry March Band. This set up a tradition of creating events for bands that wanted to visit NYC and play gigs after HONK! fest. In 2008, Titubanda from Rome were presented in parties, parades, parks, and rallies. In 2009, the name BONK! Brooklyn HONK Festival was adopted and used through 2011. The festival was renamed as HONK NYC! In 2012. In addition to small parades and free outdoor gigs, HONK NYC also has ticketed nighttime events in clubs and warehouse spaces.
Starting in 2008, HONK! Fest West has been held every spring in Seattle. In its second year, HONK! Fest West 2009 took place in several locales around Seattle: Friday night in Ballard, Saturday night in Georgetown, Sunday daytime at Gas Works Park and Sunday evening at The Vera Project. HONK! Fest West 2010 took place Friday night in Fremont, Saturday afternoon in the Central District, Saturday night in Georgetown, and Sunday afternoon at the Alaska Junction in West Seattle.
HONK!TX has been held in Austin every March starting in 2011. The 2011 festival took place on East Sixth Street on Friday, in the North University neighborhood on Saturday, and, following a march through the center of Austin, in Pan-Am Park on Sunday. Subsequent years have used South Congress instead of East Sixth.
HONK!Oz was inaugurated in January 2015 in the community of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia as a fringe festival of the long-running Illawarra Folk Festival in the nearby community of Bulli.
HONK!Rio was inaugurated in August 2015, taking place in various communities in and around the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
PRONK! is a one-day festival in Providence, Rhode Island. IT happens the day after the Boston area HONK! ends and features many of the same groups that performed in Somerville and Cambridge over the weekend.
Participating Bands
Note that this section is due to be updated as follows: (1) It will feature a list of bands attending HONK! from 2006 through 2016 (2) Bands listed here as attending other HONK! festivals will be relocated to a page dedicated to other HONK! festivals (3) Links to band Wikipedia pages will be updated, where applicable (and in some cases, band pages created).
aNova Brazil (Boston, MA)
Boycott (Somerville, MA)
The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT)
Brass Messengers (Minneapolis, MN)
The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT)
Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro, NC)
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal, QC)
Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI)
Dirty Water Brass Band (Boston, MA)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL)
Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI)
La Fanfare Invisible (Paris, France)
Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI)
Hartford Hot Several (Hartford, CT)
Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH)
Mayday Marching Band (Pittsburgh, PA)
Original Pinettes Brass Band (New Orleans, LA)
The Party Band (Lowell, MA)
Le Pompier Poney Club (Marseille, France)
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (New York City, NY)
School of HONK (Somerville, MA)
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI)
Yes Ma’am Brass Band (Austin, TX)
Artesian Rumble Arkestra (Olympia, WA)
AfroBrazil (Boston, MA)
The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT)
The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT)
Dead Music Capital Band (Austin, TX)
Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI)
Dirty Water Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
DJA-Rara (Brooklyn, NY)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL)
Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI)
Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI)
Gora Gora Orkestar (Boulder, CO)
The Hill Stompers (Los Alamos, NM)
Hungry March Band (Brooklyn, NY)
Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH)
Les Vilains Chicots (Paris, France)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX)
New Creations Brass Band (New Orleans, LA)
Original Big Seven Social Aid and Pleasure Club (New Orleans, LA)
The Party Band (Lowell, MA)
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (New York City, NY)
School of HONK (Somerville, MA)
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
Ten Man Brass Band (Seattle, WA)
tint(A)nar (Quebec City, QC)
Artesian Rumble Arkestra (Olympia, WA)
AfroBrazil (Boston, MA)
The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT)
The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT)
Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro, NC)
The Carnival Band (Vancouver, BC)
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal, QC)
Chaotic Noise Marching Corps (Seattle, WA)
Dirty Water Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL)
Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI)
Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI)
The Hill Stompers (Los Alamos, NM)
Himalayas (New York City, NY)
Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH)
Les Muses Tanguent (Paris, France)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX)
New Creations Brass Band (New Orleans, LA)
Pakava It (Moscow, Russia)
The Party Band (Lowell, MA)
Red Flame Hunters (New Orleans)
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (New York City, NY)
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable (Atlanta, GA)
Veveritse (Brooklyn, NY)
What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI)
aNova Brazil (Boston, MA)
The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT)
Brass Messengers (Minneapolis, MN)
The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT)
Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI)
Dirty Water Brass Band (Boston, MA)
DJA-Rara (Brooklyn, NY)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL)
Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI)
Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI)
Gora Gora Orkestar (Boulder, CO)
Hungry March Band (Brooklyn, NY)
Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX)
Original Big Seven Social Aid and Pleasure Club (New Orleans, LA)
Os Siderais (Rio De Janeiro)
The Party Band (Lowell, MA)
Perhaps Contraption (London, UK)
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (New York City, NY)
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI)
Young Fellaz Brass Band (New Orleans, LA)
AfroBrazil (Boston, MA)
The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT)
Brass Liberation Orchestra (San Francisco, CA)
Brass Messengers (Minneapolis, MN)
The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT)
Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro, NC)
The Carnival Band (Vancouver, BC)
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal, QC)
Chaotic Noise Marching Corps (Seattle, WA)
Church Marching Band (Santa Rosa, CA)
Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI)
Dirty Water Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
DJA-Rara (Brooklyn, NY)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL)
Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI)
Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI)
Gora Gora Orkestar (Boulder, CO)
The Hill Stompers (Los Alamos, NM)
Himalayas (New York City, NY)
Hungry March Band (Brooklyn, NY)
Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH)
Loyd Family Players (Oakland, CA)
Lungs Face Feet (Pittsburgh, PA)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX)
Pink Puffers Brass Band (Rome, Italy)
The Primate Fiasco (Northampton, MA)
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (New York City, NY)
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable (Atlanta, GA)
tint(A)nar (Quebec City, QC)
Veveritse (Brooklyn, NY)
What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI)
Young Fellaz Brass Band (New Orleans, LA)
AfroBrazil (Boston, MA)
The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT)
Brass Messengers (Minneapolis, MN)
The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT)
Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro, NC)
The Carnival Band (Vancouver, BC)
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal, QC)
Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI)
Dirty Water Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
DJA-Rara (Brooklyn, NY)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL)
Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI)
Factory Seconds (Somerville, MA)
Forward! and The Milwaukee Molotov Marchers (Wisconsin, US)
Hungry March Band (Brooklyn, NY)
Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX)
The Open Hand Orchestra (Portland, ME)
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (New York City, NY)
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, MA)
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable (Atlanta, GA)
The Springville All Star Marching Band (Springville, NY)
Titanium Sporkestra (Seattle, WA)
What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI)
Young Fellaz Brass Band (New Orleans, LA)
Artesian Rumble Arkestra
Banda Gazona
BeatCrunchers
Bolting Brassicas Marching Band
Brass Messengers
The Carnival Band
Detroit Party Marching Band
Environmental Encroachment
Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band
Extraordinary Rendition Band
Garfield High School Bulldog Drumline
Hubbub Club
Hungry March Band
Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band
MarchFourth Marching Band
Minor Mishap Marching Band
Orkestar Slivovica
Orkestar Zirkonium
Samba Já
Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline
Sound Wave Sounders FC Band
Titanium Sporkestra
VamoLá
Yellow Hat Band
Yesterday's Chonies
BeatCrunchers
The Carnival Band
Environmental Encroachment
Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band
Hubbub Club
Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band
Loyd Family Players
MarchFourth Marching Band
Orkestar Zirkonium
Samba Já
Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band
Sound Wave
Titanium Sporkestra
VamoLá
Yellow Hat Band
Anti-Fascist Marching Band (Seattle)
The Carnival Band (Vancouver, BC)
La Banda Gozona (seattle)
Samba Olywa (olympia)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago)
Black Bear Combo (Chicago)
Hungry March Band (Brooklyn)
Samba Ja (Eugene)
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra (Santa Cruz)
Weapons of Marching Destruction (Seattle) now Titanium Sporkestra
Yellow Hat Band (Seattle)
Vamola! (Seattle)
Peace Bandits (Olympia) now Artesian Rumble Arkestra
Ballard Sedentary Sousa Band (Seattle)
Raging Grannies (Seattle)
AfroBrazil
The Barrage Band Orchestra
Black Bear Combo
Brass Liberation Orchestra
The Bread & Puppet Circus Band
Detroit Party Marching Band
Dirty Water Brass Band
DJA-Rara
EE – Environmental Encroachment
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band
The Expandable Brass Band
Extraordinary Rendition Band
Factory Seconds
Himalayas
Leftist Marching Band
Young Fellaz Brass Band
the Hubbub Club
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable
The Springville All Star Marching Band
tint(A)nar
Veveritse
What Cheer? Brigade
AfroBrazil
The Bahamas Junkanoo Jumpers
Banda Roncati
The Barrage Band Orchestra
Black Bear Combo
Brass Messengers
The Bread & Puppet Circus Band
Caka!ak Thunder
The Carnival Band
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble
EE – Environmental Encroachment
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band
Extraordinary Rendition Band
Himalayas
Hungry March Band
Leftist Marching Band
Loyd Family Players
Minor Mishap Marching Band
Orkestar Zirkonium
The Original Pinettes Brass Band
Pink Puffers
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Samba Tremeterra
The Scene Of The Crime Rovers
Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable
The Springville All Star Marching Band
What Cheer? Brigade
Yellow Hat Band
Brass Liberation Orchestra
Brass Messengers
Bread and Puppet Circus Band
Caka!ak Thunder
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble
District Circus Marching Band
Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club
Himalayas
Hungry March Band
Loyd Family Players
March Fourth Marching Band
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable
The Scene of the Crime Rovers
Titubanda
The TriBattery Pops - Tom Goodkind Conductor
Flaming Trolleys
Environmental Encroachment
Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band
Leftist Marching Band
What Cheer? Brigade
Yellow Hat Band
Honk! Volunteer Second Line Band
Tufts / Somerville Honk! U Bands
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band
Black Bear Combo
Brass Liberation Orchestra
Bread and Puppet Circus Band
Caka!ak Thunder
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble
Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band
Environmental Encroachment
Himalayas with Lesser Panda
Hungry March Band
Leftist Marching Band
March Fourth Marching Band
Near & Now One-Man Band & Healing Orchestra
Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club
Pink Puffers Drum & Brass Phunk Band
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band
What Cheer? Brigade
The Carnival Band
Black Bear Combo
Brand New Orleans Brass Band
Brass Liberation Orchestra
Environmental Encroachment
Hungry March Band
Leftist Marching Band
Revolutionary Snake Ensemble
Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band
Stick and Rag Village Orchestra
What Cheer? Brigade
