Strike up the band in Somerville

john tlumacki/globe staff/file

Honk if you love street bands. Or better yet, head to Somerville this weekend for the 12th annual HONK! festival.

More than two dozen brass bands — from Seattle’s “Chaotic Noise Marching Corps” to Rio de Janeiro’s “Damas de Ferro” to New York City’s “Rude Mechanical Orchestra” — are in the lineup for the free, three-day celebration of music, community, and activism.

The festival kicks off Friday with a lantern parade, followed by a band showcase at ONCE Somerville and Aeronaut Brewing Company. Saturday features a giant music and dance party throughout Davis Square. And on Sunday, community groups will join the bands for a parade from Davis Square to Harvard Square to “Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes, and Feet.”

For more information about hours, bands, and locations, visit honkfest.org.

This year, Lowell is getting in on the act with its own Pre-Honk! Brass n’ Bike Show on Thursday. Meet at the Elks Lodge at 5 p.m. for a sunset bicycle ride through the city, then it’s back to the lodge for an evening of live band music. A $10 wristband gets you into both the bike ride and the 7:30 p.m. show.

A Special Town Meeting in Middleborough will decide Monday whether to spend nearly $103.6 million to demolish and rebuild the high school. If the measure passes, voters will be asked at a special town election on Nov. 4 to approve a debt exclusion of Proposition 2½ to pay for the project. The state is expected to pick up about 44 percent of the cost.

A panel of local female politicians will share their experiences in Milton on Wednesday in hopes of recruiting more women to run for office. “An Evening with Milton Women in Politics” will take place at 7 p.m. at Cunningham Hall, 77 Edge Hill Road. It’s sponsored by Milton Persists — a group that formed in January after the Women’s March in Boston.

Housing and quality of life are hot topics in Newton, and they’re the focus of a debate Thursday between the two finalists for mayor. Both candidates, Ruthanne Schwartz Fuller and Scott F. Lennon, have argued that the city must find ways to increase Newton’s supply of affordable housing. The debate will be held at The Eliot Church, 474 Centre St., at 7 p.m. The election takes place Nov. 7.