2027 Fête de la Musique

The Fête de la Musique on June 21 fills French streets, squares, courtyards and railway stations with free live music on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It was launched in Paris in 1982 by Culture Minister Jack Lang and music director Maurice Fleuret, with the pun 'Faites de la musique' — make music — as its slogan, and is now celebrated in more than 120 countries under names such as World Music Day. Anyone can perform, so amateur choirs, school bands, DJs and rock groups play alongside professional concerts, with all performances free of charge and many running late into the night; in Paris the metro often runs later and the city centre fills with crowds moving from stage to stage. It is not a public holiday, and it happens whatever the weekday, so evening is the busiest time. Restaurants and bars along the main streets are packed, and city-centre hotels book up. This countdown ticks to midnight Central European Time in Paris on June 21.