Paris: When the Summer Solstice arrives on Saturday, millions of people across France will attend the impromptu street concerts of Fête de La Musique hosted by restaurants, bars, museums, and even libraries—a French summer tradition for more than 40 years. The Summer Solstice of June 21, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, also heralds France’s beloved music festival, the Fête de la Musique, which is marking its 44th year.
According to France24.com, amid the heat, streets, bars, restaurants, gardens, museums, and even libraries across France will host thousands of concerts for one night only. The full lineup for concerts in Paris can be found online, while the complete schedule for all of France is available on the government website. Millions have attended in previous years, with some traveling from outside of France to join the festivities.
This year, Beyoncé will also be performing for three days over the weekend at the Stade de France, attracting even more music lovers to Paris. Social media, especially TikTok, is buzzing with foreigners, mostly British, eager to join the celebration. Many are sharing tips on how to celebrate the event and even practicing their French.
The Paris transport system will offer a special Fête de la Musique pass for £4.20, providing unlimited access to all public transportation (except to airports) from 5 pm on June 21 until 7 am on June 22. The fête this year fortuitously falls on a weekend—the next Summer Solstice to take place on a Saturday will be in 2031—but is also expected to coincide with a heatwave that could see Paris temperatures soar to around 35°C (95°F).
The origins of the festival trace back to 1982, initiated by former minister of culture Jack Lang. A ministry survey conducted that year found that around 5 million French citizens played an instrument, including half of all young people. Lang decided to create this free festival as a way to break down the barriers between amateur and professional musicians. The idea of the free festival was to be open to all music, without hierarchy of genres or practices.
Some credit Joel Cohen, an American musician working at France Musique public radio, as the originator of the idea of a musical solstice. In 1976, Cohen launched the Saturnales de La Musique, a special broadcast to celebrate the solstices on June 21 and December 21 with music.
The European Year of Music in 1985 set its sights on exporting the celebration abroad, and by 1997 a charter on La Fête Européenne de la Musique was signed in Budapest. Thousands of cities around the world now celebrate Fête de la Musique, which means Music Party in French but is also a play on words since Faites de la musique—meaning to make music—is pronounced the same way. Organisers underscore that the event is “for all music and all audiences without any lucrative purposes.” Across the world, more than 120 countries now host Fête de la Musique events in several cities.