HONK! is a free, family-friendly, grassroots festival!

All HONK! events listed below are FREE and open to the public. Follow the links for each event for more info and detailed schedules.

Join us for a kick-off celebration!

Live in Union Square from 7-10pm. The lineup is:

7:00 Environmental Encroachment
7:30 Dirty Water Brass Band
8:00 The Party Band
8:30 Minor Mishap Marching Band
9:00 Unidos do Swing
9:30 Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band

Then we’re going to Aeronaut Brewing Company (14 Tyler St), where Rise Up Action Band will play at 11.

Facebook event page

Lantern Making Workshops

4pm – 6pm at Hodgkins Park near Davis Square

Kids, parents, neighbors, and friends are all invited to make homemade, DIY lanterns in preparation for the evening Lantern Parades around Davis Square. Full info can be found here.

Lantern Parades

7:00pm – 8:00pm, leaving from Hodgkins Park

Sidewalk processions around Davis Square accompanied by bike lights, paper lanterns, flashlights, and other forms of DIY lighting. Full info can be found here.

HONK! at Bow Market and Aeronaut Brewing Company

The official HONK! Kickoff Party will take place at Bow Market in Union Square, Somerville from 8-11pm! Starting at 8pm, we’ll have a tune share in the courtyard, where bands can teach others how to play their songs. And after that, we’ll get to hear those bands play well into the evening! So come relax with us, catch up with old friends and make new ones!

There will also be a HONK! Kickoff Showcase at Aeronaut Brewing Company after the lantern parades!

More info and schedule here. Both shows are free admission.

HONK! in Davis Square

12pm – 9pm all around Davis Square

More than 25 activist street bands from around the world perform all day, outdoors, for free at venues around Davis Square. Opening ceremonies begin at noon. Band performances from 1pm – 9pm. Full schedule available here.

There will be an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter at the Opening Ceremonies which take place at noon on Saturday, October 6 in 7 Hills Park, Davis Square, Somerville.

Elm Street Interactive Area

1pm – 5pm

We’re closing Elm Street to cars and turning it into a dynamic arena for interactive art making and activism. HONK! is hosting a diverse group of artists to lead participatory activities. We invite you to work with these artists – create something and get involved with an activist cause. Make a flag, write a protest poem, build a just city, tag a rose, or stencil a suitcase. Support a cause or protest an issue — march with your own activist art in the Sunday HONK! Parade as part of a parade group. Full details here.

The HONK! Parade

12pm – 2pm down Mass. Ave. from Davis Square to Harvard Square

Parade from Davis Square down Mass Ave to Harvard Square to “Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet”, featuring HONK! bands and community groups, from Davis Square to Harvard Square’s Oktoberfest celebration. Full info (including parade route and street closings) can be found here.

HONK! in Harvard Square & All Band Concert

2pm – 6pm all around Harvard Square

The all band concert will be held on the Main Stage of Harvard Square’s Oktoberfest. In addition, some bands will play sets on smaller stages around Harvard Square throughout the afternoon. Full schedule available here.

There will be an accessible viewing area on Sunday for the parade from noon – 2:00 at the corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Garden Street at Harvard Square, Cambridge. The drop off area is on Garden Street at Massachusetts Ave. There will also be an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter at the Main Stage in Harvard Square for the Parade Commentary as the parade enters Harvard Square starting at about 1:00 PM.