This year, the HONK! Festival of activist street bands celebrates its fifth convergence of revolutionary street spectacle in Boston. Inspired by the post-1960s emphasis on public performance (especially taking a page from Bread & Puppet and other street level interventionists), HONK! builds on the same social energies as inspired more recent spectacles like Reclaim the Streets, EuroMayDay, and others. On Columbus Day weekend, as many as 30 radical marching bands will gather in Davis Square and other locations around Boston to workshop, network, offer free performances, and create public joy.
What Cheer? Brigade at HONK!
The schedule for the weekend includes events in Boston’s various neighborhoods for Friday afternoon and evening. On Saturday, nine hours of free public performance follows the festival’s official opening ceremonies in Davis Square, Somerville [Map]. The same swarm of performers, joined by community organizers, local artists, and others, will let loose on Sunday to form a parade from Davis Square to Harvard Square. HONK! wraps up in a blowout fashion with a concert at Somerville Theatre, the only set during the weekend where one can catch all of the bands in one show.
Check out who’s coming, and check the HONK! website for updates as the weekend approaches and unfurls.
Disclosure: I am a member of the HONK! Festival Organizing Committee, and this is the third HONK! I’ve helped to organize.
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blah blah blah. radical marching bands are a mediocre idea gone bad. every town has one and they’re as contrived and awkward as the next. wake me up when they start forming marching bands that do something legit like make sonic weapons to use against the cops.
I just love the carnival atmosphere. And the picture captures the mood really well.