Annual Oktoberfest & Honk Festival: Harvard Square
| Dates: | Sunday, October 11, 2026 - Sunday, October 11, 2026 |
| Hours: | Hours Vary see below |
| Ages: | Kids, Teens, Adults |
| In/Outdoor: | Outdoor |
| Cost: | Free |
| Category: | Fairs & Festivals |
The Harvard Square Business Association presents the 47th Annual Oktoberfest and the 21st Annual HONK! Parade on Sunday, 10/11/2026, from 11:00am to 6:00pm, with a rain date of Monday, 10/12/2026. This free, family-friendly fall tradition fills the streets of Harvard Square with music, food, art, and a joyfully offbeat Cambridge spirit, as musicians and spectators 'reclaim the streets for horns, bikes and feet.'
Stroll the Square for food from around the world, crafts, art, free samples, and unique gifts. Raise a glass at one of four beer gardens: Alden & Harlow (40 Brattle Street), Lovestruck Books (44 Brattle Street), Russell House Tavern (14 JFK Street), and Arlington Brewing Company (in front of Charlie's Kitchen on Eliot Street).
HONK! Parade: Street bands, activists, and horn lovers march down Massachusetts Avenue from Davis Square, stepping off at noon and arriving in Harvard Square around 1:00pm. HONK! bands from across the country then take turns performing on stages throughout the Square all afternoon.
Filipino American Festival: Now in its 5th year, this celebration of Filipino music, food, and culture takes over the Church Street Parking Lot. The lineup includes Gabby Concepcion, Jam Morales, Rachel Anne Wolfe, Elmer Abapo, and the REO Brothers, who play rock classics from the 1950s through the 1980s. Don't miss the lumpia, balut, and pancit eating contests, with a $200 cash prize for the lumpia contest winner.
Chalk on the Walk: Head to Church Street to see the Rotary Club of Cambridge transform the pavement into a colorful, if fleeting, chalk art display.
Six Stages of Live Music: Performances take place on the Main Stage (in front of the Harvard Square Kiosk), the Eliot Triangle Stage, the Arlington Beer Company Stage (Charlie's Kitchen, 10 Eliot Street), the Church Street Stage (at Church Street and Massachusetts Avenue), the Palmer Street Stage, and the Rachael Solem Memorial Stage (at Brattle and Church Streets), which features singer-songwriters curated by Passim.
Main Stage Schedule
11:00am Tiny Very Tall
12:00pm Granite
1:00pm HONK! Parade
2:00pm Boston Music Project
2:08pm Extraordinary Rendition Band
2:16pm Ideal Maine Social Aid and Sanctuary Band
2:24pm Conical Cacophony
2:32pm Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band
2:40pm Funkrust Brass Band
2:48pm The Party Band
2:56pm 8-Bit Brass Band
3:04pm UNiTY Street Band
3:12pm Yes Ma'am Brass Band
3:20pm May Day Marching Band
3:28pm Brass Balagan
3:36pm Brassica and the Wild Sprouts
3:44pm Undertow Brass Band
3:52pm Rara Bel Poze
4:00pm Singing Resistance
4:08pm The Bread and Puppet Circus Band
4:16pm Unlawful Assembly
4:24pm The Jamaica Plain Honk Band (JP Honk)
4:32pm Brass Solidarity
4:40pm Detroit Party Marching Band
4:48pm Forward! Marching Band
4:56pm Rude Mechanical Orchestra
5:04pm Leftist Marching Band
5:12pm DC Activist Street Band
5:20pm Expandable Brass Band
5:28pm Brass Liberation Orchestra
5:36pm All For One Brass Band
5:44pm Good Trouble Brass Band
5:52pm School of HONK
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Oktoberfest in Harvard Square was started 1978 by the late Frank Cardullo, a Square mover, shaker and owner of the renowned Wursthaus, which served up traditional German food from 1917 until it closed in 1996.
The early festivals were in keeping with the old world customs. Over the years, however, the festival has taken on a most discerningly Cambridge vibe to become an Oktoberfest unlike any other.
Looking for more fun Boston Festivals? Check out our handy list of annual events that locals look forward to every year!
| HOURS | ↑ top |
12:00pm - 6:00pm
Rain date is Monday, 10/12/2026
| WEBSITE | ↑ top |
harvardsquare.com/featured/47th-annual-oktoberfest-and-honk-parade/
| LOCATION | ↑ top |
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA map
Phone: (617) 491-3434
| TIPS | ↑ top |
- Take the T. The Red Line stops right at Harvard Square, and streets will be crowded and partially closed to traffic. Arrive by noon if you want a good spot to watch the parade come in around 1:00pm. Check the Harvard Square Business Association website for weather updates.
| RELATED LINKS | ↑ top |
- Profiles
- Localities
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