Fête de la Musique

The Fête de la Musique (French pronunciation: [fɛt d(ə) la myzik]), also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day, or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration which usually takes place in mid-June. On Music Day, citizens and residents are urged to play music outside, in their neighborhoods or in public spaces and parks. Free concerts are also organized, where musicians play for fun; no fees are involved.

Fête de la Musique
The Fête de la Musique on 21 June 2010 in Paris
Genre	World music
Dates	June, yearly
Location(s)	France (originally) World (today)
Years active	1982–present
Founders	Jack Lang Maurice Fleuret
Website	fetedelamusique.culture.gouv.fr

The idea for the first all-day musical celebration on the day of the summer solstice came from Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture of France, and Maurice Fleuret; it was celebrated in Paris in 1982. Music Day later became celebrated in 120 countries around the world.

Creation

The International Music Day was created by UNESCO on 1 October 1975.

The idea of a large-scale, public musical celebration was later developed in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, who was working at the time for France Musique. He proposed holding musical “Saturnalias” on the two solstices — 21 June and 21 December — with bands performing outdoors on the evening of 21 June, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. His idea was first realised that same year in the western suburbs of Paris and in Toulouse. In a 2015 Swiss documentary about the origins of the festival, Jack Lang publicly thanked Cohen for the inspiration.

In October 1981, at the request of then Minister of Culture Jack Lang, Maurice Fleuret was appointed Director of Music and Dance at the French Ministry of Culture. Fleuret, reflecting on the evolving landscape of music in society, coined the idea: "music everywhere, concerts nowhere". When he came across a 1982 study revealing that five million people in France — one in two young people — played a musical instrument, he imagined an event that would bring amateur and professional musicians alike out into the streets.

A few months later, on 21 June 1982, the first official Fête de la Musique was held in Paris. The date, chosen for its symbolic association with the summer solstice (the longest day of the year), reflected a deep-rooted cultural tradition of celebrating nature and light — echoing ancient solstice festivals like Saint John’s Eve (24 June), when bonfires were historically lit across Europe.

This modern celebration of music as a universal language and spontaneous expression rapidly gained popularity.

By 2011, the Fête had become fully international: celebrated on the same day in more than 700 cities across 120 countries, including India, Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, the United States, the UK, and Japan. In some English-speaking countries, it is known as Music Day, Make Music Day, or World Music Day.

By 2014, the official French website had recorded participation from over 120 countries around the world

Choice of 21 June

The date of 21 June was chosen because it most often coincides with the summer solstice (therefore the longest day of the year, or the shortest night for those who celebrate until dawn). This coincidence with the summer season symbolises the celebration of nature through this festive day, reminiscent of pagan festivals dedicated to nature or the harvest in Antiquity (such as the Saint John's Day celebrations, popular festivals during which large bonfires were lit throughout the night on the evening of 24 June — traditionally marking the end of the longest days of the year — and which continued in France until the 1990s, when most of the fires were banned for safety reasons and often also due to legislation aimed at preventing wildfires in areas subject to water restrictions or environmental protection regulations).

Similar celebrations also took place in Nordic countries at this time of year, when the sun never sets (for example, in Saint Petersburg, the "White Nights", during which the arts are celebrated in all their forms). This idea was later taken up in France with the "Nuit Blanche", held during the first weekend of October, shortly after the equinox, when night becomes longer than day.

The International Music Day, launched by UNESCO in 1975, takes place on 1 October.

Purpose

The main purpose of Fête de la Musique is to promote music. Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets, under the slogan "Faites de la musique" ("Make music"), a homophone of Fête de la musique.^[1] Thousands of free concerts are staged throughout the day, making all genres of music accessible to the public.^[2]

France

Despite the general public exhibiting great tolerance for musical performances in public areas in evening hours, noise restrictions do apply and entertainment establishments may only extend their working hours on the day and broadcast music in the evening hours with prior authorization. Prefectures in France reserve the right to prohibit individuals, groups, or establishments to install audio hardware in the streets.^[3]

On 23 June 2025, the Paris event was marred by a violent attack, organized and perpetrated by at least twelve individuals who randomly pricked eventgoers with syringes.^[4][5][6]

Reach and impact

As of 2019^[update], a total of 120 countries participating in Fête de la Musique,^[7] and over 1,000 cities across the world participate in the event.^[8] In 2023, events were held on most continents.^[9]

Italy's Festa della Musica began in 1985, and became national in 1994.^[9]

The UK Event began as National Music Day in 1992.^[10] Make Music Day UK became an independent organization in 2022.^[9]

Ukraine has been holding its event in Lviv since 2013. Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine the event continues to be held each year.^[9]

In the United States, the Make Music Alliance was formed in 2014 to help coordinate efforts across the country. In 2023, a total of 4,791 free concerts were held across 117 cities. Cincinnati, Madison, New York City, Philadelphia, and Salem each organized over a hundred different concerts on the day^[11]

In Australia, Make Music Day Australia was initiated in 2018 by the Australian Music Association (AMA),^[12] and as of 2022, was co-hosted by the AMA and National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM).^[13] In 2023, a huge international project called "Make Music, Make Friends" partnered 10 Australian schools with schools around the world to share music and greet one another on Make Music Day.^[14]

In Cyprus, the festival has been held every year since 2019. While Make Music Cyprus is usually limited to Nicosia, the 2025 edition expanded to Larnaca as well, but it was held at an earlier date.^[15]

Turkey and Ghana held their first Make Music Days in 2022, and South Africa in 2023.^[9]

See also

• Make Music Day UK
• World music