Baltimore has in recent years embraced certain aspects of old Hampden's traditional culture.
The neighborhood is home to the annual "Hon Festival" (also called HonFest) and named after the term "Hon," a (term of endearment).

HonFest features attendees who tease their hair into the enormous beehive hairdos of the 1960s.
The festival also features a contest to find the best "Bawlmerese," a variation of Baltimore's unique traditional accent.
This accent is also more commonplace in areas like Dundalk and Essex.
In March 2011, the Special English service of Voice of America broadcast Hey, Hon, Ready to Learn How They Talk in Baltimore?,
and An Extended Lesson in Bawlmerese by Baltimore native Steve Ember.
Prior to the HonFest, the annual festival was known as the "May Fair" lasting a full week beginning in early May.
Hampden's 34th Street near the southern end of the neighborhood celebrates the Christmas holiday every year with the "Miracle on 34th Street" where home owners on both sides of the street decorate their houses with thousands of lights and Christmas decorations, attracting visitors from all over the world to see the spectacle.
Another great Christmas street is Roland Avenue.
One house in particular, 3548 has an extraordinary "Nightmare Before Christmas" themed display that actually has lights synchronized to music.
This house is known around the neighborhood as "The Halloween House".

Hampden received perhaps its most prominent nationwide exposure in 1998, when Baltimore native John Waters filmed his movie Pecker there.
Starring Hollywood actors like Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Martha Plimpton, and Lili Taylor, the film depicted a very elaborate & fictional view of Hampden and its young residents.

Additionally, the novelist Philipp Meyer grew up on Hampden's 36th Street during the late 1970s and 1980s; much of his novel American Rust was reportedly influenced by his childhood there.
Baltimore has in recent years embraced certain aspects of old Hampden's traditional culture. The neighborhood is home to the annual "Hon Festival" (also called HonFest) and named after the term "Hon," a (term of endearment).
HonFest features attendees who tease their hair into the enormous beehive hairdos of the 1960s. The festival also features a contest to find the best "Bawlmerese," a variation of Baltimore's unique traditional accent. This accent is also more commonplace in areas like Dundalk and Essex. In March 2011, the Special English service of Voice of America broadcast Hey, Hon, Ready to Learn How They Talk in Baltimore?, and An Extended Lesson in Bawlmerese by Baltimore native Steve Ember. Prior to the HonFest, the annual festival was known as the "May Fair" lasting a full week beginning in early May.
Hampden's 34th Street near the southern end of the neighborhood celebrates the Christmas holiday every year with the "Miracle on 34th Street" where home owners on both sides of the street decorate their houses with thousands of lights and Christmas decorations, attracting visitors from all over the world to see the spectacle. Another great Christmas street is Roland Avenue. One house in particular, 3548 has an extraordinary "Nightmare Before Christmas" themed display that actually has lights synchronized to music. This house is known around the neighborhood as "The Halloween House".
Hampden received perhaps its most prominent nationwide exposure in 1998, when Baltimore native John Waters filmed his movie Pecker there. Starring Hollywood actors like Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Martha Plimpton, and Lili Taylor, the film depicted a very elaborate & fictional view of Hampden and its young residents.
Additionally, the novelist Philipp Meyer grew up on Hampden's 36th Street during the late 1970s and 1980s; much of his novel American Rust was reportedly influenced by his childhood there.
Hampden, Baltimore