Fête de la Musique in Paris

Every June 21 music is in the air in Paris. the walls in every neighborhood have a beat bouncing off their walls.

Schedule – Buy le Parisien newspaper on June 21. Inside is a pull out section with the evenings locations, times, line up.

Check the church schedule posted in front in your area. Concerts usually begin about 8:30 p.m. on June 21.

Schedule short list – Pick up a free copy of “Direct Matin” in the metro for a short list of who, what and where.

History
The name “Fête de la Musique” is a play on words in French. The French verb “faire” in the third person present is “faites” (pronounced fete).

Jack Lang, the minister of Culture in 1982, was already organizing festivals for Maurice Fleuret, a promoter of musical festivals and venues in Paris. Professionals and amateurs improvised street concerts between 8:30 and 9 p.m.

The concept expanded not only in Paris but around the world. In 2011, the most recent addition to the list of cities participating in the annual musical festival were Rio de Janeiro, Lisbonne and Chicago.