Business & Tech
Controversial Honfest Returns This Weekend
The festival takes over Hampden on Saturday and Sunday.
This weekend is the return of Honfest, the Hampden based festival organized by restaurateur Denise Whiting.
The festival will be held for the 20th year from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, but the event, which draws thousands of people to North Baltimore, has become a lightning rod for controversy.
Supporters argue that Honfest celebrates Baltimore's camp reputation and working class women. But some residents have criticized the event, claiming it makes fun of locals.
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The festival also faced backlash after Whiting, the owner of Café Hon, filed a trademark on the popular Baltimore colloquialism "hon."
The move sparked protests and boycotts of Cafe Hon, which eventually led to a spotlight on the reality show "Kitchen Nightmares" because Whiting claimed the business was in financial trouble.
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Whiting made an apology on the television show and released her trademark of the term.
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