Friends,

We have some exciting news to share: on October 10 & 11 we will bring together a vibrant, raucous mixture of brass band music, dance, art, and activism from around the world for HONK!United, a 2-day on-line celebration of the HONK! spirit.

We cannot gather locally and in-person for our beloved HONK!Fest in Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston. But thanks to the internet, we can connect with the varied HONK! festivals that other communities have started during the last 15 years – as close as Providence RI and as far away as Brazil and Australia. Most of these live gatherings have also been cancelled due to COVID-19; by joining together we will experience the diversity, resilience and inspiration of the HONK! movement. Moreover, bands from far-away can join us without a single musician getting on a plane – good for our carbon footprint! HONK!United will be your opportunity to hear from the musicians that have raised your spirits for years and some amazing new (to us) groups from Japan, Uganda, and Costa Rica as well as Colorado, Austin, and Detroit!

BUT IT WOULDN’T BE A FESTIVAL WITHOUT YOU! We invite you to get involved; you can’t be there in person, so send us your content, and we’ll try to include it in our Saturday stream. Share a story – maybe you’ve been a volunteer, maybe you’ve hosted musicians, maybe you played in a band. Most likely, you’ve been deeply moved by the life-changing music and art that is HONK! So, please, bring your energy and expression to HONK!United. Please submit photos and video – ASAP, but by October 1st – using this form.

• Make a 30-second video of yourself (landscape format if possible) sharing what you love about HONK! Or a favorite memory!
• Share a favorite photo of yourself, your friends and family at a HONK! Festival. Let everyone see your sequins, stripes, and smiles.
• Have you been wanting to speak up in these troubled times? HONK! is all about activism as well as the joy of dancing in the streets. Take a photo of yourself and a message – your own cardboard sign; take a stand for racial justice, a habitable planet, housing and food security, rights and respect for immigrants, protection for voter rights, the joy of music and self-expression.

Please upload your contributions using this form.

And of course, tune in and watch. Details will be posted at http://honkunited.org/.

One final way you can participate: HELP US WITH A DONATION! Although we appreciate these are challenging times for everyone, if you can help out with even a modest contribution, you will help our all-volunteer committee pay for the technology and expertise needed to mount a 24-hour virtual extravaganza. We never go half way with HONK! Now we are working to bring together pre-recorded and live music from around the world, participatory panels and workshops via zoom, archival materials and interviews about our own HONK!Fest. We are inviting our collaborators, whether in Rio de Janeiro or Seattle, to report on the ground what is happening in their communities and share their perspectives with you, our HONK! community.

To make a contribution please visit our Help Us page.

As always, thank you for your support and participation.

— HONK!Committee