Wollongong's Crown Street Mall erupted in a vibrant spectacle of music and movement over the weekend, as the HONK! Oz street music festival held its flagship Grand Street Parade. Despite confronting soaring summer temperatures, a spirited collection of musicians, dancers, and performers brought the city's main thoroughfare to life with an infectious energy.
A Parade of Colour and Sound for Peace
The parade, a central highlight of the three-day community festival, marched forward under the hot sun with this year's powerful theme: Honk for Peace. The event transformed the mall into a moving canvas of colour and sound, demonstrating the festival's core mission of blending artistic expression with social justice messages.
Three Days of Festival Highlights
The 2026 edition of HONK! Oz kicked off on Thursday, January 8, with bands performing in the Wollongong Town Hall forecourt. The opening night welcome party featured local act the Beatmeisters and Perth's visiting Junkadelic Brass Band.
Friday night saw the action shift to The Servo in Port Kembla, where a line-up of local and interstate bands kept the momentum going. Saturday's schedule was packed with more live music, although the intense heat led to the unfortunate cancellation of some planned performances. The day also included family-friendly music workshops and a picturesque twilight lantern parade through the Wollongong arts precinct.
A Decade of Community and Activism
Now in its 11th year, the HONK! Oz festival has deep roots in the Illawarra community. It began in 2015 when just 20 community bands gathered in Wollongong. Inspired by activist street band festivals from around the globe, the event has grown into a significant free cultural offering, steadfastly upholding its founding principles of music, community, and social advocacy.
The festival's enduring success lies in its ability to bring people together through the universal language of music, proving once again that even the hottest summer day cannot dampen Wollongong's community spirit.
