The 2013 New York HONK! Festival Set for October 15-19

On Tuesday, October 15, 2013, brass bands and parade revelers will rendezvous in Brooklyn to kick off the seventh annual HONK NYC! Festival. Encompassing five days and three boroughs, HONK NYC! is an extravaganza of global street music and spectacle. Ensembles from Texas, Illinois, England and Brazil will appear alongside New York artists such as Frank London (The Klezmatics), Hungry March Band, PitchBlak Brass Band, Underground Horns, Batala NYC, Veveritse Brass Band, Djarara and master percussionist Deep Singh. Over a dozen free and ticketed performances and educational initiatives will be presented in NYC schools, concert venues, parks, art galleries and museums. For complete festival details, including information on parade starting locations and ticket sales, visit https://www.facebook.com/HonkNYC and http://honkfest.org/honk-nyc

THE after-party to the Boston-area's unprecedented HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands (Oct. 11 - 13), HONK NYC! collects musicians and performers from around the world dedicated to playing and preserving the tradition of brass and percussion music and spectacle. Introducing New York audiences to visiting artists annually since 2007, HONK NYC! is proud to present the New York premier of two unique troupes: London-based avant-pop marching band Perhaps Contraption, and funk-rock fusionists Os Siderais, from Rio de Janeiro. Making return visits to the festival are Austin's Minor Mishap Marching Band, and Chicago-based Environmental Encroachment.

Tuesday, October 15: Opening Night Dance Party at Littlefield

HONK NYC! commences in Brooklyn with a processional to Littlefield, where the festivities get underway at 8pm with Batala NYC, the all-female Samba Reggae ensemble. Minor Mishap Marching Band follows with a raucous set of punk-ass global brass, on the floor, on the stage, and maybe even on top of the bar. A frequent collaborator in Europe of Amanda Palmer's, special guests Perhaps Contraption bring their curiously twisted brass-pop to the stage next. Closing the night will be trumpeter Frank London, presenting his new Klezmer-Bhangra collaboration with Deep Singh, SHARABI.

Wednesday, October 16: 2nd Annual East Village Cavalcade of Pomp & After-Party at DROM; Symposium at The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space

HONK NYC!'s night of simultaneous and convergent parades on Manhattan's Lower East Side begins at 6:30pm at a soon-to-be-disclosed location and ends with an after-party at 10pm at Drom. In between, a symposium on HONK! will be offered. (See below.) Os Siderais will make their NYC debut at Drom, followed by Underground Horns, known for performing their "Afro-Funk Bhangra Brass Grooves" in MTA stations across town. Environmental Encroachment will deliver their euphoric mash up of brass, pop, standards and originals at the end of the night. Parade coordinates TBA on the HONK! NYC website.

Friday, October 18: HONK NYC! Friday Night Gala at Gowanus Ballroom

HONK NYC!'s Friday night blowout begins with a parade around Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood, and ends on the shores of the canal in the cavernous gallery spaces of Gowanus Ballroom. The party starts with sets by Os Siderais, Environmental Encroachment and Perhaps Contraption. Three Brooklyn-based bands round out the night. Hitting at the midnight hour will be PitchBlak Brass Band, the hottest hip-hop brass outfit in town. Inspired by the Romani Gypsy music of the Balkans, Veveritse Brass Band will bring the dancing to a frenzy. The evening concludes with Brooklyn's own Haitain rah rah band institution, Djarara.

Saturday, October 19: Kids HONK! at Children's Museum of the Arts

HONK NYC! co-presents an afternoon show just for kids at Manhattan's delightful Children's Museum of the Arts. Featuring instrument building workshops with museum staff. Environmental Encroachment will perform.

Special Festival Initiative: HONK NYC! Goes to School

Throughout the course of the festival, HONK NYC! artists will team up with elementary and pre-schools in Brooklyn and Staten Island to present daytime concerts. Partners include Maple Street School, PS 10, and the Staten Island Community Charter School.

On Wednesday, October 16 at 8pm, a symposium on the street band scene will be held at The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, on Avenue C. A panel of musicians, journalists, academics, and organizers will be on had to discuss the HONK! phenomenon and network of festivals.

"Participatory Dance" lessons will given by members of the Hungry March Band Pleasure Society at every show.

Support the festival and get your gala tickets in advance. Check out our Kickstarter, running now. Funds raised go toward supporting artist travel and making it the biggest festival it can be.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1737928085/2013-honk-nyc-festival