Honfest

EVENT: The a small festival on the Avenue in Hampden that celebrates Baltimore «Hons».
FESTIVAL: There is nothing really special or distinct about this festival. It has festival food, jewelry, paintings, various Baltimore specific clothing vendors.
PARKING: GET THERE EARLY. It is of course quite difficult to park in Hampden normally and it is much harder during the festival.
RETURN: NO, nothing really made me want to go there vs taking a wonderful walk around Harbor East on the water or go to the Patterson Park festival.
RECOMMEND: Go if you want to see some «Hons» but you can get lemonade, crab cakes, bbq, and jewelry pretty much at any summer festival.

It was so much fun! (It was also no less than 120 degrees) Parking is a nightmare, but overall the event is a good time. The food/​drink options are hit or miss, but the people watching is amazing. Anyone dressed in costume is willing to pose for a pic, and if you’re super patient, you too can have a beehive courtesy of the Hon Salon.

Fun concept and overall fun event, but slightly disappinting as only about 5% of attendees dress up and get in the spirit. The food and outdoor drinking options are really the draw here as much of the entertainment isn’t very attention grabbing (think lots of barbershop quartets, 1920s-​40s music).

For those who aren’t from Baltimore or those who live here but haven’t heard about the Whiting /​HON debacle (although I can’t imagine who that would be!), please DO NOT let this distract you from attending the HONFEST 2012 coming up this weekend — ⁶⁄₈!
This event is on my short list every year and it doesn’t disappoint. Here is a link to photos from last year’s HONFEST:
HONFEST is a celebration of all things eccentrically Baltimore — the contests, music, food (don’t miss the fried potato thingy although I can’t remember the name, but you’ll know it when you see it!), Hon Salon (yes, you too can be a Hon!) and so much more!
It’s a showcase for the amazing residents and shops of Hampden to display their services and wares to visitors from all over the state and beyond. Swing by the Hon Café, or not, that’s up to you. But don’t miss out of one of the premier festivals in our great city! Save you visits to national restaurants and clothing chains that are the same old thing everywhere … and support our small local businesses that cater to personal service and unique products! There is simply no contest :)

Honfest is an annual June event in a quirky Baltimore neighborhood where everyone aspires to be a 1960’s housewife from the movie Hairspray. It’s pretty hilarious, and the vintage shopping in that neighborhood is really impressive. The time I went, it was 98 degrees, though, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have another year. The event is part standard street fair, part dress up. There are food, beer, art, and other vendors, but there are also beehive hairdoo stands, and tons of vintage clothes and accessories for sale. There are 3 stages — 2 with mediocre local music, 1 with dancers and the Hon Fest pageant contest. I took my 6 year old daughter, who was entertained by the Hon Pageant and got her face painted, but I don’t consider it a great event for her age bracket. For adults, good silly fun.

It’s Bawlmer, Hon! HonFest was pretty cool when I went for my first time a couple years ago. It takes place on 36^th Street in Hampden aka «The Avenue». The best part is getting drunk in the streets. Tons of people dressed up in tacky, 50’s gear drinking, eating and carrying on. There were vendors, live music and It’s cool to wander around but there’s nothing incredibly appealing about the whole thing. We ended up sitting inside at Fraziers, as it was scorching hot outside.
Only thing that would keep me away is because Denise Whiting trademarked the word Hon. You don’t own it lady. BALTIMORE OWNS IT.

Eccentric reigns here.
Street fair of nuts local shit.
Street’s the asylum.

As a long-​time Hampden resident I am very aware that Denise Whiting and Café Hon have done a lot for the neighborhood (despite it’s campy kitschy-​ness) and I used to look forward and attend Honfest each and every year. But I’m sure I won’t be the only one boycotting the event this year. While I can understand copywriting «Café Hon», «Honfest» and «HonTown» I don’t see how she thinks she can get away with owning the word «Hon» all on her own. Seems like someone trying to own «Y’all».
And now that she’s putting more and more restrictions on her fellow Hampden merchants for the event it’s just put a sour taste in a lot of mouths. No one else is allowed to sell cat’s eye glasses? Is she going to ban leopard print spandex and bee-​hive hairdos next?
What started out as a fun and funky way to celebrate and support the local shops and vendors has turned into something commercial and crass.