HONK! Fest Returns June 8-9th

On Sunday, June 9th, HONK! Fest PDX will return to the Montavilla neighborhood for a free community festival of marching bands, drum lines, and other acoustic street bands. Last year’s celebration filled the streets with sounds, dancers, and neighbors from all over the area. Building on that success, the event organizers are back on SE Stark Street for its second day of sound celebration. Unlike last year’s HONK season-starter that occurred within Portland’s inner Eastside, the June 8th opening event will take place in East Portland at Lents Park. The proximity of the locations should allow more people to participate in both days.

HONK! bands draw inspiration from Klezmer, Balkan-Romani music, Brazilian Samba, Afrobeat and Highlife, Punk, Funk, Hip Hop, and the New Orleans second-line tradition. People attending the Saturday celebration should arrive at the south end of Lents Park on SE 92nd Ave and SE Steele Street between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. On Sunday, area residents and visitors to Montavilla Town can enjoy free music at the SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street plaza, Milwaukie Lumber parking lot, and a Beer Bunker-hosted stage from noon to 7 p.m. HONK! features Open Jam sessions each day where organizers encourage the audience to join the festival, playing their own instruments.

Honk! PDX 2024 Festival Bands

Analog Brass (Bellingham, WA)
Artesian Rumble Arkestra (Olympia, WA)
Beat Crunchers (Eugene, OR)
Brassless Chaps (Portland, OR)
Bug Complex (Portland, OR)
Chaotic Noise Marching Corps (Seattle, WA)
Cimarrona La Original Domingueña (Costa Rica)
Couch Brass (Portland, OR)
8-Bit Brass Band (Seattle, WA)
The Fighting Instruments of Karma Marching Chamber Band/Orchestra (Eugene, OR)
Filthy FemCorps (Seattle, WA)
Jesters Brass Marching Band (Portland, OR)
Kef (Eugene, OR)
MADBand (Eugene, OR)
Neon Brass Party (Seattle, WA)
Portland Samba (Portland, OR)
Portland Taiko (Portland, OR)
The Power Pep Band (Portland, OR)
Tacomarama Community Street Band (Tacoma, WA)
Unpresidented Brass Band (Portland, OR)

Event organizers recommend people bring chairs, picnic blankets, water, snacks, sunscreen, hula hoops, flowtoys, bubble makers, and dancing shoes. Although well-behaved dogs are allowed on a leash, the HONK! team cautions that the loud noises and crowds can overwhelm some animals. This June 8th and 9th event suits all ages, with music spanning a wide range of tastes. People interested in attending should mark their calendars for one or both days and consider donating to the event to help keep it going for years to come.