Tag: Honk PDX

2025 Montavilla Street Fair July 27

On Sunday, July 27th, the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association (METBA) will host the 12th annual Street Fair on SE Stark Street. Early that morning, crews will close the road from SE 82nd to 76th Avenues along with segments of side streets to allow the 150 booth operators to set up ahead of the 10 a.m. opening. Vendors will sell a variety of items, including food and drinks, unique artwork, handcrafted goods, and clothing. Mixed in with people selling items, organizations will provide information, and performers will entertain the crowds until 6 p.m. Vehicle traffic will resume on the street later that evening after organizers clear the area. Still, people can stay in the neighborhood to visit the bars and restaurants along SE Stark and NE Glisan Streets. Last year, an estimated 25,000 people visited Montavilla’s historic downtown from around the region, participating in the annual 1,400-foot-long community party.

Graphic promoting the Montavilla Street Fair featuring a live music stage and an audience of diverse people, with a dog and food vendor tents in the scene. The event date is displayed as Sunday, July 27, 2025.

On Wednesday, July 16th, sign installers placed the banner over SE Stark Street at 80th Avenue, announcing the Street Fair dates to everyone passing by. Although many people in the area have already marked the date on their calendars, raising the banner represents Montavilla’s invitation to the city of Portland. Thousands of visitors attend this annual neighborhood event, driving record sales to local businesses and introducing people to the historic Montavilla downtown area.

Banner announcing the Montavilla Street Fair hanging over SE Stark Street, with shops and trees visible in the background.

Event organizers will feature the big brass sounds of a mini HONK! Fest PDX on SE 80th Avenue. People can also enjoy performances at the SE 79th Avenue Plaza Stage next to the Threshold Brewing beer garden. The main stage will feature a diverse mix of local Portland music and national touring artists. Montavilla Brew Works will sponsor a special stage located across from their brewery at SE Stark Street and 78th Avenue, where they will host one of the four beer gardens, with Tinker Tavern and The Observatory rounding out the beer-centered street fair destinations. Many past fair booth operators are returning, alongside a new crop of makers, food vendors, and organizations. As a bonus, the Montavilla Farmers Market will be open during its regular hours on the 27th, providing attendees with access to more booths and food options at SE 76th Avenue and Stark.

A colorful promotional poster for the Montavilla Street Fair and HONK! Portland event, featuring playful watermelon graphics, dates, and event details.

Sponsorship from Adventist Health Portland, OnPoint Community Credit Union, Mr. Plywood, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) helps fund what has become one of the largest street fairs in Portland. People can find day-of-event updates and the full music lineup, including performance times, at the METBA website (metba.org).

Update July 21, 2025: This article was updated with more detailed information about the side street music offerings and beer gardens.


Promotion: Montavilla News will have a booth at the fair this year. We will giving away stickers and sell year subscriptions that will come with a logoed hat or pin, while supplies last.

A mannequin wearing a dark blue shirt with the Montavilla News logo and a maroon beanie hat featuring the same logo.

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.

Images courtesy HONK! PDX

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 plazaMilwaukie 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.

Free Festival of Brass Bands July 23

Next weekend, on July 22nd and 23rd, HONK! PDX will host its first festival of brass bands at two locations in SE Portland. Next Saturday, festivities will run from noon to 7 p.m. at Revolution Hall field and then transition to three Montavilla venues for a Sunday celebration. 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. Area residents and visitors to Montavilla Town can enjoy free music in the SE 79th Avenue and Stark Street plaza from 12:30 to 6 p.m. However, more music will kick off a block away at Milwaukie Lumber from 1 to 6 p.m., followed by a Beer Bunker hosted stage starting at 3 p.m. until closing. The final event features an Open Jam where organizers encourage the audience to join the festival, playing their own instruments.

Article images courtesy HONK! PDX

HONK! PDX positions itself as a free celebration of community, collaboration, and creative expression dedicated to creating a community of inclusion. It is an all-volunteer organization fiscally sponsored by SE Uplift. This style of event began in Massachusetts in 2008 as an activist street band festival, later expanding to New York, Detroit, Seattle, Austin, Brazil, Australia, and now Portland. Organizers designed the multi-day musical celebration to be accessible, representing various ages and abilities. Anyone who wants to bring an instrument and play can join pick-up bands throughout the festival.

HONK! PDX is seeking volunteers to help out during the festival. Event coordinators ask that interested participants fill out the sign-up sheet at the HONK! PDX Volunteer site. This free event does not need advanced tickets, and children are welcome. More information is available on the event website honkpdx.org.