The HONK! Festival 21st Annual Festival of Activist Street Bands will be honking its way throughout the area on October 9-11. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

“Why do we HONK!? How do we HONK!? When do we HONK!?” These are the HONK! Festival’s opening remarks, seemingly rhetorical questions, performed cantastoria-style, and delivered every year at HONK!’s opening ceremonies. Questions that have kicked off every HONK! since its local humble beginnings back in 2006.

And they actually do have answers, especially when delivered to those who happen to be musicians who inhabit the unplugged mobile brass band world. They are members of bands who are actively motivated to respond in solidarity, knowing that “something is very wrong in their neighborhoods”. And who are inherently compelled to “do something about that.” By hitting the streets, loudly and forcefully.

For that is the seriousness of purpose that the annual HONK! Festival always conveys to its festival participants. Which then proves to be contagious to all those gathered, musicians and audience alike. The seriousness of purpose, combined with having lots of fun together, reinforces this like-minded camaraderie. In order to DO SOMETHING as a response to what is definitely NOT acceptable – whether that be politically, socially, humanely.

The HONK! Festival was catapulted into existence right here in the Somerville area in 2006, initially with 3 local bands, 8 from across the U.S., and 1 travelling in from Vancouver. And yes, HONK! has grown.

There are now over 20 independent HONK!s (plus related activist street band gatherings) operating around the world. With 35 U.S. bands participating on-site specifically in Somerville/Cambridge this October. Let’s just say, there is a reason for that phenomenon! With the local Festival still under the ongoing coordination of HONK!’s founding band, the Good Trouble Brass Band (fka Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band).

These links may provide further investigation into how can all this be: honkfest.org/about/, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HONK! The schedule details for this year’s HONK! are still being finely tuned, but will include many of the elements that participants and attendees have come to expect for the full HONK! experience.

Outdoor street-level band concerts will be held throughout Somerville’s Davis Square and the nearby neighborhoods on HONK! Friday and Saturday. And the vast “Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes, and Feet” Parade will again travel from Davis Square to Harvard Square in Cambridge, on HONK! Sunday, arriving to participate in their 47th annual Oktoberfest.