HONK! Festival Kicks Off This Weekend in Somerville

SOMERVILLE, MA – Now in its 11th year, the HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands will continue its reign in Somerville and the surrounding areas by fusing music and social justice.

The festival encourages a participatory culture and audience members have often left with memorable musical moments and life-altering experiences.

Though it originated in Somerville, HONK! has inspired festivals in Providence, New York City, Seattle, Eugene, Austin, Pittsburgh and Detroit, as well as cities in Australia and Brazil.

This year, HONK! has imported two new bands from France, La Fanfare Invisible from Paris and Marseille's Le Pompier Poney Club. It continues its celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans by inviting back the popular Original Pinettes Brass Band.

Here's a look at this year's lineup:

• 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)

This year's HONK! includes nine hours of continuous free performances in Davis Square, lantern parades throughout the neighborhoods of Somerville and the "Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet" parade down Massachusetts Avenue.

Following the Somerville festival, HONK! performances will continue at Oktoberfest in Harvard Square.

HONK! will also be featured in an art exhibit, organized by Puerto Rican photojournalist Leonardo March, at the Nave Gallery Annex from Oct. 6-22.

The HONK! Festival begins Friday and runs until Sunday.

>>>Click here for more information on HONK!

Photo courtesy of Pixabay