The Paris Traveler

Fête de la Musique - Faites de la Musique

by Lynn on June 12th, 2007

“Make Music” is a music celebration on June 21st that began in 1982 by Jack Lang who was the Minister of Culture in France at the time. The idea behind this day, which falls on the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year, was for anyone and everyone to make music.

The goal was to get amateurs and professionals alike to take to the streets in a free for all festival of music. The first year that it began, I was living in the 17th arrond. in a little passageway that seemed more like living in a small village in France than right off a main avenue in Paris. Everyone living there at the time was either an artists, a writer, musician, actor, or a photographer. It just happened that we all sort of moved into this place at the same time.

This was over 25 years ago. I was the only foreigner amidst a colony of French artists. Little by little, everyone was constantly over one another’s place on a daily basis, and we’d often set tables outside when the weather was nice and eat dinner together several times a week. We celebrated birthdays, holidays, and marriages together and became like family. As a matter of fact, these are still many of my closest friends today, although none of us live there any longer.

That first year of the Fête de la Musique, there didn’t seem to be much more than the usual street musicians that normally play in Paris, but many people had their stereos blasting away for a few hours. As for us, we jammed until dawn. Sleeping in the next day was no problem, the only thing you heard in that little impasse in the morning were the birds chirping in the trees.

Not so when I moved back to the Latin Quarter seven years later. Living on the Rue des Canettes was a shocker after the quiet of the Cour Saint-Pierre, and living across the street from the famous wine bar Chez Georges did not help! Chez Georges, as many people know, is a mecca for any type of celebration! (More about this place in another post.) The impression that I had was that my bed was in the middle of the street and everyone was walking all around it! I was on the 6th floor, so I can’t even begin to imagine what it was like for those in the apartments below me!

In any case, year by year the Fête de la Musique has grown and has become an international celebration. At first it spread to other European countries, but now it is celebrated in 110 countries and 340 cities around the world! If you can’t be part of the millions making music on June 21st, you can listen and watch in real time on the web radio! Images from around the world will be sent to document many of the festivities taking place this year.

For more information on what’s going on in Paris on this day, you can find out here. Happy Make Music Day to everyone!

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POSTED IN: Announcements, Family Fun, Music, Outdoor Activites