Our Mission

HONK! Fest West is dedicated to the activation of public space through energetic musical performance.

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Contact Us

General Info:: info@honkfestwest.org
Booking:: booking@honkfestwest.org
Volunteer:: volunteer@honkfestwest.org

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Our Story

HONK! Festival West is an independent 501(c)(3) arts organization that produces an annual free, three-day, community-supported music festival in public spaces of the Seattle area. This immersive festival is driven by the energetic performances of street bands from around the world. HONK! is part of a global renaissance of street band culture, with Seattle’s festival occurring since 2008.

In 2021 HONK! Fest West transitioned to a federally recognized501(c)(3) non-profit known as HONK Festival West. We are excited to usher in a new era of programming for our community, while continuing our iconic annual HONK! Fest West in June, including the return of the HONK! All-Stars Band, monthly HONK! Jams, and HONK! Junior.

HONK! is a celebration of community, collaboration and creative expression and is dedicated to creating a community of inclusion. We work to break down systemic barriers to inclusion for those underrepresented within our community, and increase community access to our programming by producing the festival in neighborhoods of the Seattle area underserved by the arts. Our interactive celebrations are designed to be accessible, with representation from a wide range of ages and abilities; offering pick-up bands throughout the festival open for anyone who would like to pick up an instrument and play.

Bands at HONK! Fest West travel from all over the country to temporarily transform streets in various neighborhoods with a free showcase of various musical styles. The bands represent traditions ranging from New Orleans second line brass bands, punk rock marching bands, European Klezmer, Balkan and Romani music, Samba, Maracatu, as well as the passion and spirit of Mardi Gras and Carnival!

We have called Georgetown our home since the festival’s inception, and have also celebrated in Columbia City, White Center, South Park, The Waterfront, Fremont/Gas Works Park, Capitol Hill, Central District, Pioneer Square, Downtown, Seattle Center, and West Seattle.

Join us! May 30: TBD, May 31: TBD, and June 1: TBD.

We can’t wait to kick off Summer in Seattle with you in 2025.

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Diversity & Inclusion

HONK! Fest West activates public space to make communities stronger and more connected. The raucously engaging performances provide the universal benefits of celebrating music together with no limitations arising from age, race, gender identity, cultural background, ethnic and indigenous identity, native language, immigration status, ability, religion, education, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. HONK! Fest West focuses on cooperative values; participatory culture; breaking down barriers to music and art; introduction to different cultural traditions through music; and the key tenet that anyone can be a part of the experience.

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Join Us!

We are a completely volunteer-run organization and festival and are currently recruiting to fill some key roles on our various Committees. We have roles both big and small on our Event Production Committee, our Outreach Committee, our Creative Communications Committee, and our Fundraising Committee. If you are interested, head over to our Volunteers page to see some specific roles or just send an email to volunteer@honkfestwest.org for more information on how you can get involved.