A World Music Day Music Festival in Paris

As the spring gives way to summer there will be music in the air, and nowhere will this be more noticeable than in Paris, the city in which World Music Day began. The Grand Hotel du Bel Air will be delighted to welcome you to the capital on June 21st for the Fête de la Musique, a full day celebrating the majesty of music and its ability to uplift and enrich the spirit. Throughout the length and breadth of Paris the summer solstice will be marked by free musical performances and concerts, and you can be there to join in with the fun.

Celebrate the Fête de la Musique in Paris

The 34th edition of the Paris Fête de la Musique will take place all through Sunday, June 21st, only coming to a close at dawn of the following day. The rhythms of the Parisian streets will blend in subtle harmony with the rhythms of music. What kind of music, you ask? Just about any kind you can think of, we answer! Whether you are a fan of folk, a connoisseur of classical, a blues buff or an enthusiast of electro, you will find your musical passion performed live somewhere in Paris on the summer solstice. Jazz, rock, funk, reggae, soul, urban…you’ll find it all here and all for free.

Musicians, both professional and amateur, are invited to play in Paris. This might be by way of a scheduled concert in a performance venue, or it might be as informal and impromptu as a busking session in a street or a park. The only proviso stipulated by the organisers is that all performances must be free to the public. Roam the streets of Paris and you might find a folk musician playing in a coffee bar, or a jazz band enjoying a jam session in a restaurant. You could catch a classical ensemble producing exquisite melodies in the Palais Royal, a rock band letting rip in a club, or the heavenly harmonies of a choir filling a church with exquisite sound. Not quite knowing what you’ll come across is all part of the fun.

A 1982 study found that some five million French people were musicians, and yet there seemed to be few places where people could share their talent with others. All that changed in that very same year when the official Fête de la Musique began. Adopted as an annual national celebration, it has grown to encompass the world. Yet Paris, where it all began, remains the place where the heart of World Music Day beats most strongly. Come and see, and listen, for yourself.

The organisers announce the programme of scheduled musical events a few weeks before the Fête de la Musique, so that you can find out who’s playing. However, there’s always plenty of surprises, and you never know who might turn up!      

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Consult the event program

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Picture Music festival 2014 at musée Guimet copyright holder : Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY 2.0]

Grand Hotel du Bel Air, in the heart of the lively Nation area in Paris