2020 Band Interest Form

Greetings, dear bands, from the Somerville HONK! Committee!

In an effort to help us with the very difficult task of selecting bands to attend our festival, we are asking you, via the attached form, to let us know of your interest and availability to attend HONK! 2020.

Filling out this form lets us know you are interested in being invited, it does not guarantee we will be able to invite your band (we are not able to invite every band every year). We do our best to stagger invitations and to be as inclusive as possible.

The deadline for applications is April 13th, 2020.

For those unfamiliar with this festival, here is some pertinent information:

The HONK! Festival is a gathering of activist street bands. We play for the public, and we play for each other. We gather as a community to exchange ideas and music, and we collaborate on political actions during the festival. These have included playing outside an immigration detention center and protesting low-wage jobs with local labor union activists in food courts and retail locations. Our annual parade brings together many community folks working on a range of issues regarding social justice and environmental causes and we try to pair these groups with bands based on shared interests.

We give priority to bands with an activist mission at their core and who are working to support their communities through music. Participating bands are our partners in making the festival a success and for building a national and international community of engaged musicians contributing to civil liberties, human rights, and social justice through music.

We are an all-volunteer organizing committee. We provide food, and community volunteers generously host visiting musicians in their homes. We raise funds so we can contribute toward bands’ travel costs.

Please fill out the application below and feel free to tell us anything we didn’t ask about your band that you want us to know in the additional information field at the bottom. Thank you!

Are You an International Band?

Due to the extra planning time involved in organizing airfare, visas, and other special arrangements, HONK! has begun a system where international bands may begin the application process a year in advance of the usual schedule. The international bands for our upcoming 2020 festival have already been selected and are preparing for their visit. If you are an international band, please know that you are welcome and encouraged to submit an application now for the 2021 festival next year. We look forward to hearing from you!