HONK! Texas Brings the Beat to Austin’s Streets

By Victoria Hayden

Reporting Texas

Festival-goers dance to the lively sounds of a brass band at Honk! Texas at Pan Am Park in East Austin, March 30. Victoria Hayden/Reporting Texas

Trumpets blare and drums pulse as a brass band takes the stage, sending waves of music through the crowd gathered at Pan Am Park in East Austin on March 30. 

Honk!Tx is a nonprofit festival that brings street and brass bands from across the city and country to perform for free in the public spaces of Austin. This year, Honk!Tx is celebrating its  15th anniversary. The festival spanned three days, March 28-30, and three locations, The Jackalope South Shore, Mueller Lake Park, and Pan Am Park, with more than 20 bands performing. 

“We want to make sure that every member of Austin has access to the music and the arts,” said Brian Lancaster, the lead festival planning committee chair and treasurer for Honk!Tx.

Lancaster said that Honk!Tx’s goal is to bring music into communities that may not otherwise experience it. 

One of the many bands that took the stage was Blowcomotion, a nonprofit adult learning band open to everyone, no matter finances, experience or background. 

“We are trying to break that barrier for people so they come join us,” said Beverly Larkin, vice president and percussionist for Blowcomotion. 

Beyond the music, Blowcomotion prides itself on fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for its members. For Larkin, the band is about more than just performing, it’s about connection.

“We have a great time together. This is all community happening,” Larkin said.

For attendees, the festival was more than just a concert, it was an experience that captured the spirit of Austin. Sam Norton, who came to see the performances at Pan Am Park, said the event felt like a true reflection of the city.

“This was a conglomerate of all the people,” Norton said. 

For Norton, the festival wasn’t just about the music, it was about the feeling of togetherness it created.

“All the people in one synchronized movement,” Norton said. “The rhythms and the heartbeats and everybody together, it was just a breath of fresh air.”