Music and Marching Bands Parade Past Somerville Apartments During HONK!

# Music and Marching Bands Parade Past Somerville Apartments During HONK! HONK! is a festival that turns the city into one huge state. It happens every October. Davis Square fills to capacity with brass bands, percussion lines and dancers wearing full costumes. The music doesn’t stay still. It travels down streets, cuts across plazas, and flows right past numerous Somerville apartments. Balconies and porches turn into seats. Stoops become places to hang out and watch the festivities. HONK! is more than a concert. It’s a mix of sound and community. For dwellings near the parade route, the festival isn’t something that happens in the distance. It’s right outside, stitched into the blocks and sidewalks that make up the area. **Table of Contents** 1. Origin & Roots 2. Free & Public Festival 3. Music and Community 4. Parade & Reclaiming Public Space 5. Conclusion **Origin & Roots** The first HONK! came together in 2006. The Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, already well known around town, teamed up with other street bands to put music back where they thought it belonged—outdoors. Davis Square was their starting ground. The area already had cafés, storefronts, and plenty of [Somerville apartments](https://bostonpads.com/somerville-ma-apartments/) located above them. That gave the music a built-in audience. The sound carried out of the square and into nearby streets, echoing off brick three-deckers and wood-frame porches. Residential rentals around Davis Square were part of the story from the very beginning. This party didn’t start in a concert hall. It was born on sidewalks lined with housing, and that aspect has carried forward every year since. Before we dive into this further, let’s take a look at some important numbers regarding the monthly rent across various types of units in this city. According to Boston Pads Real-Time Data, one-bedrooms are currently $2,535 per month, up 2.09% from last year. Two-bedrooms come in at $3,144 per month, 0.19% higher than the same period 12 months prior. Three-bedrooms are priced at $3,762 per month, a 0.29% dip year-over-year. And, four-bedrooms costs $4.731 per month on average which is a nearly flat 0.04% YOY increase. **Free & Public Festival** HONK! doesn’t have ticket booths or fences. There’s no need. The event spills into the streets, and everyone is welcome. A band might launch in Davis Square and be halfway down Mass Ave before the crowd realizes it’s time to move. People trail behind, going through alleys or cutting across lots to get ahead. Corners turn into natural meeting points. Nobody worries about reserved seats or assigned rows. The music decides where things happen. That freedom is part of what makes HONK! different. **Music and Community** From the start, HONK! Mixed the concept of music and community. Bands play, and everyone joins them in celebration. Somerville apartments become the backdrop. Flags sometimes hang from balconies. Murals appear on walls. The brass sections roll by, and the crowd rises up behind them. The weekend feels charged. It’s not just sound drifting by. This city has a voice through music. That’s what makes HONK! different. It doesn’t separate the art from the city. It weaves them together and sends it into the streets. **Parade & Reclaiming Public Space** The Sunday parade is the main draw. It kicks off in Davis Square and pushes down Mass Ave toward Harvard Square. Traffic gives way to tubas, snare drums, and dancers carrying handmade banners. Sidewalks crowd quickly. Steps and porches fill up fast as well. Windows swing open in order to let the sights and sounds in. Buildings seem alive, filled with onlookers pressed against glass or waving from balconies. The music isn’t background. It takes over the avenue. Horns echo between the structures, and intersections turn into giant stages. Smaller lantern parades and side-street shows keep things going late into the evening. This isn’t just another weekend. It’s a good reminder of just how great Somerville is. **Conclusion** The HONK! The festival is one of this city’s trademarks. Its roots in Davis Square, the free-to-all setup, and the parade that reclaims Mass Ave all shape its identity. Somerville apartments near the action aren’t just close to the festival. They are part of it. HONK! gives neighborhoods a rhythm that can’t be found elsewhere in Greater Boston. The music and the community are folded right into the streets. That connection adds something more than location. It ties housing and storefronts to a cultural tradition that keeps the area moving to its own beat every fall.