HONK! Oz STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL TURNS 10

Yes, the annual HONK! Oz festival of FREE big band street music held in the Wollongong CBD from Thursday 9th January – Saturday 11th January, 2025 celebrated its 10 year!

Whilst HONK! festivals originated in USA cities 20 years ago, Wollongong is the first city in Australia to hold a HONK! festival back in 2015 and is the only city in Australia to run the festival for 10 years.

Wollongong’s HONK! Oz Street Music Festival is an outdoor spectacle featuring alternative community bands and related arts.

Honk Group photo

Irreverent, revelrous and with a somewhat DIY approach to instrumentation and attire, HONK! Oz bands perform to celebrate, to protest and to proclaim. Some play for peace, some for activist causes and community spirit, but all of them play to have fun!

And the festival is FREE with organisers encouraging audience members to join in and clap, dance or even bring their old instruments.

To celebrate the 10 years a sequence of events was planned.

10 year of Memorabilia Launch: Monday 9th December, 2024

The festival committee has collected a huge range of photos, costumes and video over 10 years which was on display at Wollongong City Library. The Memorabilia event included guest speakers talking about the origin of our own HONK! OZ as well as the history of HONK! festivals.

HONK! Festival Launch: Thursday 12th December, 2024

There was a free performance by HONK! bands such as the Con Artists and Curious Rendition Orchestra at the Wollongong Night Markets. Shoppers got in the groove and enjoyed the sound of a 30-piece band to launch the festival.

HONK! Festival: Thursday 9th January – Saturday 11th January, 2025

The festival was held in the Arts Precinct in the centre of Wollongong next to the IPAC Theatre and surrounds from Thursday 9th January to Saturday 11th January 2025. Over 20 big bands played (for free) at different stages.

Feature bands included a 12 piece funky band from Perth called the Junkadelic Brass Band, Wollongong’s own 35 piece street band The Con Artists, Sydney’s 15 piece band the Riff Raff Radical Marching Band, and a variety of bands from around the country.

Check the website http://www.honkfest.org.au/ for events and updates, and news for 2026.

The annual HONK! festival promotes inclusivity for all musical genres and strongly encourages community participation inviting audiences to join in by dancing, clapping and even playing their own instrument. 

We are the only HONK! festival in the world that incorporates a “Kid’s HONK” where young children are encouraged to learn tunes to play at the festival and have the opportunity to play with professional musicians. The music is FUNKY, FREE and FUN!

Kids Honk

Sue is an accomplished and seasoned manager with a wealth of experience in government administration and community service delivery. With a strong background in strategic planning, organisational development, community engagement, project planning, and building strategic partnerships, Sue has consistently demonstrated her leadership and expertise and brings a wealth of knowledge to the board. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business focusing on Local Government and Creative Industries from the University of Wollongong, reflecting her commitment to public service and innovative leadership. Sue’s extensive career and dedication to community and social service make her a valuable asset, offering both strategic insight and practical experience to drive meaningful impact.

Anne has been a member of the Wollcon Board since 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from UNSW. She is an Accredited Specialist in Family Law and an accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. She has taught family law and other subjects at Wollongong University.

For a number of years she has been a subscriber to the Australian Chamber Orchestra which regularly performs in Wollongong . She has been passionate about music and in particular music education to children and adults.

Jake has worked in the disability sector for 24 years- 17 of these with Interchange and 7 years as their CEO. Jake is passionate about inclusion and equality for both people with disability and their carers.

He holds an MBA, Bachelor of Commerce, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, as well as completing Diploma’s in Case Management, Community Services Coordination and the AICD Company Directors Course.

Jake is also a committee member on the International Short Breaks Association Board and has been a Director on the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Board since 2022.

Wayne is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors as well as being a qualified company secretary and accountant with over 35 years experience in banking and finance. He performed for nine of those years as Chief Executive of IMB Ltd, and the preceding seven years as Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, also with IMB. Wayne’s primary expertise is in the areas of governance, management, accounting, risk management and banking and finance. He has spent his whole life living in the Illawarra and is passionate about ensuring the Illawarra can provide the best possible opportunities and lifestyle for its residents. In 2024 Wayne was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the community.

Dr Terumi Narushima is a senior lecturer and Music Discipline Leader at the University of Wollongong. She is a composer, performer and sound designer specialising in microtonal tuning systems. Her works include Tritriadic Chimes, a sound installation for LA MicroFest, Hidden Sidetracks, a composition for custom-made instruments premiered by Ensemble Offspring at Sydney Opera House, and a project to build microtonal flutes using 3D printing. She has worked on theatre collaborations which have been presented nationally and internationally, including Yasukichi Murakami: Through a Distant Lens, Lost in Shanghai, and The Story of Chi. She performs with microtonal ensemble Clocks and Clouds, and her book Microtonality and the Tuning Systems of Erv Wilson is published by Routledge.

Nicky is the CEO of Community Industry Group. She has degrees in Dementia Care, Community & Environment and Marketing, and a Grad Dip in Project Management. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an Honorary Fellow of UOW. In addition to Chairing the WollCon Board, she is Deputy Chair of the Regional Development Australia Illawarra Shoalhaven Board and an Independent Non-Executive Director of Warrigal, a large not-for-profit specialising in the provision of services for older people.

Her corporate governance and strategy experience extends through a 20+ year career on boards in the corporate, government and NFP sectors.