#honkfest

Seattle, Washington - May 2026

A collection of links related to street bands around the world which, while diverse in many ways, generally share a few characteristics: Brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments; mobile; non-heirarchical; open membership; community-based; support liberatory projects by playing at protests, marches, rallies, fundraisers, as well as other events.

History and articles

And The Bands Play On: Marching For Revolution

Infernal Noise: The soundtrack for insurrection

Tom Tom Magazine #11: The Drum Core Issue

Notes from a Band Organizing Workshop at HONK! 2009

 A Joyful Noise: a short overview of street bands around the world

Bands

Infernal Noise Brigade

Rude Mechanical Orchestra (NYC)

What Cheer? Brigade (Providence)

Extra Action Marching Band (San Francisco)

Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro)

Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence)

Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal)

Brass Liberation Orchestra (SF/Bay Area)

Bread And Circus Puppet Band (Glover, VT)

Hungry March Band (NYC)

Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville)

Environmental Encroachment (Chicago)

May Day Marching Band (Pittsburgh)

Forward! Marching Band (Madison)

Yes Ma’am Brass Band (Austin)

Chaotic Noise Marching Corps (Seattle)

Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit)

Seed & Feed Marching Abominable (Atlanta)

The Brass Messengers (Minneapolis)

Original Pinettes Brass Band (New Orleans)

Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin)

School Of Honk (Boston)

Movitas Marching Band (Seattle)

Riff Raff Radical Marching Band (Sydney + Melbourne)

The Carnival Band (Vancouver)

La Fanfare Invisible (Paris)

Le Pompier Poney Club (Marseille)

Les Vilains Chicots (Paris)

Pakava It’ (Moscow)

Titubanda (Rome)

Pink Puffers Brass Band (Rome)

Banda Roncati (Bologna)

Sheet Music

from Brass Liberation Orchestra

from Movitas Marching Band

from Riff Raff Radical Marching Band

from Le Pompier Poney Club

from School Of Honk

from Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble

and a motherlode from Rude Mechanical Orchestra

Radio Programs

The life and death of the Infernal Noise Brigade

If a song could be freedom mixtape 003: Radical Brass Bands

Marching For Change: Street Bands In The U.S.

Festivals

HONK! Fest

HONK! Fest West

HONK! Oz

Pittonkatonk

HONK! TX

HONK! Rio

Some inspirations

Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians

Rhythm Activism / Norman Nawrocki

Ex Orkest

Buzzfeed’s “15 Quintessential New Orleans Brass Acts” (of course they’re missing crucial bands like New Creations Brass Band, Original Pinettes, Olympia, and Original Big Seven Social Aid and Pleasure Club) – I debated about putting some NOLA brass bands in the band list above but decided against it because it feels like a slightly different tradition and I want to respect that, even though we play with many of these bands and love them and draw so much inspiration from them.  RESPECT!!!

Bonus Link