Music can be enjoyed no matter which season it is in, but in
western countries you may find a music festival only in summer or when it’s a
warmer period of the year. That is the reason why we consider world widely the
21st June is the perkiest day of the year since it’s the ‘WorldMusic Day’.
And its history began in France…
The very first idea of this festival was from Joel Cohen, an
American artist who was working for ‘France Musique’ a radio station in France.
Cohen wanted the radio station to organize a music event on the 21st
of June and December, which are the two solstices.
Finally the events did organized in western Paris and Toulouse on the 21st
June 1976.
In 1981, André Henry, the Minister of Hobby at that time, organized
a music event in Paris celebrating the arrival of the new president, François
Mitterrand. The free concert counted around 100,000 participants. A year later,
Jack Lang, the Minister of Culture, and Maurice Fleuret, the Minister’s
Director of Music and Dance who were inspired by Cohen’s idea working together
on organizing a national event called ‘Fête de la musique’ (Music Festival) for the first time
on the 21st June. This national event becomes an annual tradition since
then.
France’s music festival concept was widely adopted around
Europe since 1985. In 2011 the festival became an international event. From the
statistics in 2014, more than 120 countries around the world pursued this
idea.
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Parade in the center of Lille
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The concept of ‘Fête de la musique’ today has no particular
rules. Neither the registration nor the tickets are required to be able to join
the event; if you have a passion for music; just jump right in! With this rule
less rule, on the 21st June of each year, you can enjoy the various
ranges of music shows provided by professional or amateur musicians on streets
corners in many cities of France. However, organizing a concert with an entry
fee is not forbidden on this day, but such events have no right to claim their
name as ‘Fête de la musique’.
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Solo artist performing around the city
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A performance from a capoeira club
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Since moving to France, I had experienced this event almost
annually. My first years in France were in a city called ‘Lille’ where I lived
in the center and could enjoy this festival by just stepping out of the house,
and I would heard some music played. There were various kinds of music played
by some bands or solo artist. In this article, I put photos and videos from the
music festival during the years I spent in Lille.
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Blues fans need to watch this video
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Check out this fun & creative percussion show video
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They are real deals, click to watch the prove
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If you have an occasion strolling in cities in France on the
21st of June and have no idea where you can join this event - no
matter which city you are, just look for a bar or a café. These businesses
often invite some bands to play in front of their places to create a lively
ambience, and as well, to promote their shops. 😉
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Click to watch the video here if you are jazz fan
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This is my all-time fav' spot, the smokin' rock show with packs of people (as always!)
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