World Music Day: History, Significance, and How to Celebrate Fête de la Musique

World Music Day, or Fête de la Musique, is an annual music celebration that takes place on June 21st. To make music more widely available, it hosts free concerts and encourages both professional and amateur musicians to play in the streets.

What is the Fête de la Musique?

In a nutshell, the Fête de la Musique is an annual free music festival in France. In English, it is sometimes referred to as Make Music Day or World Music Day.

What Time is Fête de la Musique, or World Music Day?

World Music Day is observed on June 21, the summer solstice, every year in France.

Everyone in France gets into their groove on the one day of the year when you may play your favorite music without worrying about upsetting your neighbors. The Fête de la Musique is celebrated annually on June 21st, which also happens to be the summer solstice.

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere; therefore, the timing is not coincidental. Enjoy as much daylight as possible while dancing to the music that can be heard around every corner!

Deeply symbolic of light, warmth, and summertime delight, this date selection is ideally suited to the festival’s goal of promoting music.

Public areas are turned into stages for unplanned, free performances as people gather to groove and move to the sounds of music as the sun touches the horizon.

When did It Start?

Ironically, American musician Joel Cohen, who was working for Radio France, the French national radio station, came up with the concept for the Fête de la Musique in the 1970s. As a producer for the station, he came up with the idea of “Saturnalia of Music,” a celebration of the summer and winter solstices.

Only a few years later, in 1982, did French Culture Minister Jack Lang finally put the concept into practice. They came up with the idea of a music day in France after Lang selected Maurice Fleuret as the director of music and dance. The country’s first celebration of the Fête de la Musique took place on June 21, 1982.

Why Fête de la Musique?

The Fête de la Musique’s main goal is to simply celebrate music and make it available to everyone. To enable everyone in the nation to be able to listen to all types of music wherever they are, Lang and Fleuret came up with the idea of “music everywhere and concerts nowhere.”

The pair believed that previous musical events only affected a small minority of the population; therefore, they were shocked to learn that one in two young people in France played an instrument after a huge poll conducted in 1982. They then made the decision to establish the Fête de la Musique in order to offer free music of various genres that all French people might enjoy.

World Music Day Significance

The fact that World Music Day celebrations are entirely free is their best feature. You can get the whole family involved and participate for free, regardless of the type of music you enjoy. It’s the ideal chance to listen to music you wouldn’t often have on your playlist or try playing a brand-new instrument.

Everyone can celebrate World Music Day with friends, family, and even strangers, regardless of their age or level of experience as a musician. Why don’t you take advantage of the fact that over a thousand places throughout the world celebrate World Music Day?

Music may be made by anyone, regardless of skill level. If you enjoy singing in the shower, why not take advantage of this chance to show off your skills? On this day, even the most tone deaf persons can appreciate the beauty and power of music by singing their hearts out!

World Music Day History

This celebration, also known as Fête de la Musique or Make Music Day, began in France in 1982 when a man named Jack Lang came up with the idea with his colleagues at the French Ministry of Culture. The idea behind the day was to provide free music to everyone in cities and villages.

The idea was for storefronts, rooftops, gardens, and street corners to be filled with the joy of musical sounds, whether it came from a professional live band performing in a park or just an individual playing the ukulele from their balcony.

In celebration of Make Music Day, musicians, composers, conductors, singer/songwriters, and instrumentalists all get a great chance to showcase their skills!

Word Music Day around the World

A global celebration of music, La Fête de la Musique began in France and has now spread far beyond its borders. The festival is now observed in 700 cities in more than 120 countries, demonstrating its versatility and universal appeal.

La Fête de la Musique has grown to be a highly anticipated festival in places like New York, Tokyo, Berlin, and Buenos Aires. Every venue contributes a distinct taste to the festival, showcasing the local musical and cultural traditions.

Read more: Interesting Facts about Fête de la Musique, an Annual Music Celebration

A mix of jazz, hip-hop, and indie rock acts may be included at the event in New York, while J-pop, traditional Japanese music, and electronic dance music may be enjoyed by guests in Tokyo. Similar to this, Berlin’s event frequently showcases the city’s thriving techno and electronic scenes in addition to performances of folk and classical music.

Types of Events and Activities

The Fête de la Musique is well known for its diverse range of events and activities that turn cities into one-of-a-kind music festivals. The concept behind this event is that any place can serve as a stage.

Everybody can enjoy an immersive and easily accessible musical experience thanks to the festival’s usual eclectic mix of street performances, parks, public squares, and other open spaces. Therefore, you might find concerts in public buildings like churches, museums, libraries, and universities, as well as in private buildings like shops, restaurants, and bars. Although there are stages in parks, squares, and streets as well, one of the event’s most captivating aspects is that anyone can perform on the street on the spur of the moment.

The festival’s participation of both well-known musicians and up-and-coming musicians is another distinctive feature. Well-known performers frequently share a stage or a street corner with local bands, solo artists, and community choirs. Traditional barriers in the music industry are broken down by this mix of skill levels, which promotes a more democratic and participatory style of performance.

One of the cornerstones of La Fête de la Musique is community involvement. Municipalities, cultural institutions, and local organizations frequently play a significant part in planning and promoting events.

How is Music Day Celebrated in France?

You will immediately realize that June 21 is the Fête de la Musique if you are ever in France on that day. Roads and streets are frequently closed to accommodate concerts in the country’s largest cities! Both professional and amateur musicians participate in the free festival.

Although many music halls and theaters open their doors to the public for free, many concerts are held outdoors because it is lighter and often warmer during the summer evenings.

You can hear music coming from every corner if you go down a French street, since bars and restaurants also have musicians perform for the general public. To celebrate the Fête de la Musique, the majority of establishments are granted special permission to remain open later than normal. France hosts a fantastic music event that fills towns and cities with the sound of music.

These days, this French music festival is held in more than 120 countries around the world.

How to Celebrate World Music Day

Celebrating World Music Day is definitely not a hassle! This day offers a variety of opportunities for observing and taking in the day, regardless of whether a person is a passionate musician or just a music lover. Try a few of these ideas:

Make Beautiful Music

How could World Music Day be celebrated in the most ideal way? Of course, it’s creating your own song! Alone or with companions. Today is all about making a fresh soundtrack of songs that the entire world can hear, whether you’re in a band or just using an online playlist.

Since everyone can make music, being a professional or even an amateur musician is not even required. Even something as basic as singing and banging on pots and pans will appeal to parents!

Play Some Music

Have you ever listened to a lively song on repeat while wearing headphones and waltzed along the street like you were in a movie?

Everyone has done it; they’re just too scared to acknowledge it, so you’re not alone. Even if you don’t feel like getting out of bed that day, music might make you feel better. Why not dedicate a whole day to honoring the glories of music?

Undoubtedly, World Music Day deserves widespread celebration! Play your favorite music, draw the curtains, and dance as if no one else is there the next time you’re feeling down. Your go-to savior should always be this soul-calming pastime!

Participate in Karaoke

Getting together for a night of karaoke with friends could be enjoyable, even for people who are not proficient musicians. And this day can still be enjoyed by people who have absolutely no musical ability!

Simply listen to your favorite songs throughout the day, share them with friends, and enjoy some new music that they have shared with you. The wonderful thing about music is that anyone can enjoy it at any moment!

View a Few Music-Making Films

Are you looking for some entertainment industry ideas around the idea of World Music Day? Well, think of watching a movie that tells stories of those real or imaginary people who were motivated to compose music.