In some ways, HONK! Fest West feels like an unintended antidote to the Seattle Freeze.
The free, three-day, community-supported music festival—which is devoted to street band culture and features marching bands, samba lines, drum corps, and anything else acoustic and mobile that makes an organized racket—is meant to engage. Performers encourage audience participation, whether it’s by clapping, singing, or shouting along. Everyone is looking up and outward and at each other, watching bands or fellow fans, smiling, laughing, head-bobbing, swaying, or outright getting down to the exuberant sounds. Strangers are interacting and fleeting friendships are blossoming as moments of jubilant musical expression are shared and collectively enjoyed.
This is music that’s unbound and unrestricted by the need for mics, amps, or even four walls and a roof—it happens in closed-off streets and public spaces—and there’s no real break between acts. “Our intention is to provide pretty nearly continuous music, from festival open to close,” HONK! Fest West president Steve Roberts explained in a recent interview. “Our ethos is mobile, acoustic, and enthusiastic.”
