Like every year, on June 21, the Music Festival and the summer solstice are celebrated. What to do in France? Here is our selection of concerts.
3:40 p.m. – Football VS Music
If this evening is indeed the Fête de la Musique, like every June 21 for more than forty years, it is also the Euro football tournament in Germany with an expected poster: France-Netherlands. Will the French team attract people away from street concerts? The two can be combined, with giant screens installed in many cities.
3:21 p.m. – What to do in Toulouse for the Music Festival?
In Toulouse too, many amateur and professional musicians are preparing to take over the squares, parks, bars, restaurants and other quays. Here are some ideas if you’re having trouble deciding for tonight:
- Rap in Saint-Aubin : around ten slam, hip-hop, rap and techno artists take over the Toulouse church at the initiative of the S34 Corporation collective.
- Street art and electro at Maison de Babayaga : in a house colored by street-art artists, the Plein Phare label offers a DJ set evening.
- The Salvation Army at the Capitol : on the main Toulouse square, choir and fanfare.
- A cappella at the Abattoirs : in the museum, the Frac Occitanie Toulouse offers an a cappella concert by the choir Les Voix des Pride.
3:05 p.m. – France Inter celebrates music at the Olympia
For a new year, France Inter is taking over the legendary Olympia in Paris with a free concert open to all (subject to availability of places, arrive early!), with Yamê, Justice, Luidji and Jamie xx.
14:38 – In Strasbourg, the Music Festival at the European Parliament
Among the ideas for outings for this Music Festival, that of celebrating the first day of summer… at the European Parliament in Strasbourg! In the agora of the institution the city’s Philharmonic Choir will take place, for an evening in the colors of Europe with covers of famous composers. From 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Free, upon registration.
14:04 – The weather is playing spoilsport
It’s hard to believe that it’s summer in France. The weather even got the better of the festivities in certain towns, such as Saint-Jean, near Toulouse, which had planned demonstrations for Thursday evening for the Music Festival: “The stormy and rainy weather tomorrow (Thursday) does not allow to install the equipment safely, we regret to announce the cancellation of the Music Festival scheduled for this Thursday, June 20”, declared the town hall in a Facebook publication.
1:29 p.m. – RER, metros and trains open in Île-de-France all night
For the Fête de la Musique, four RER lines connecting Paris to the rest of the region will remain open all night: A, B, C and D. Lines A and B will serve all stations along their route, specifies Île-de -France Mobilités. The same goes for six metro lines: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 14.
12:50 – What to do in France? The events map
If hundreds of events are planned – or improvised – to celebrate the Fête de la Musique throughout France, it can be difficult to find your way around. To help you, you can do your research on the interactive map available above and offered by the Ministry of Culture.
12:18 – What to do in Lille for the Music Festival?
The people of Lille will also be able to enjoy the longest day of the year by celebrating music in the four corners of the city. Here are some ideas for concerts for the Fête de la Musique in the northern metropolis:
- Electro and baroque music at the Hospice Comtesse : spend the evening in the museum courtyard to the rhythm of electro music and baroque voices, with Wild animal and Kureuil.
- Rap at Saint-Sauveur station : on the program, hip-hop artists for an evening of 100% rap and urban music.
- From techno to the Vauban garden : note for fans of the genre, the evening organized by the Tekno Tematek collective near the citadel of the Vauban garden.
- The Grand Place in the colors of Brazil : all evening, come and shake your hips with the Batucada Capanga and its 45 percussionists.
11:45 – Why does the Music Festival take place on June 21?
Since its creation in 1982 by the Ministry of Culture, the Music Festival has been set on a unique and symbolic date: June 21, the day of the summer solstice, but also the longest day of the year. Normally, we should be able to count on a sunny day…
11:26 – Ideas for outings in Marseille for the Fête de la Musique
In Marseille too, of course, dozens of events are planned in the streets, restaurants or bars, on the occasion of the 2024 Music Festival. Here is a short selection of events:
- A rock picnic at the Saint-Michel chapel park: for the third year in a row, the Fuvelain groups are offering a musical and family picnic, rock and festive.
- From the House to the town hall : lovers of electro and house music, meet in the courtyard of the town hall for the Nyctalope festival.
- Rock in La Plaine : Place Jean-Jaurès no less than nine rock concerts are organized, free of course, highlighting young local artists.
- An electro DJ set at the Château d’If : shuttles are set up to celebrate music at the Château d’If with Leo Pol’s three-hour DJ Set.
- Swan Lake at the Opera : for those who prefer classical, the Marseille Opera offers classical ballet Swan Lakeby the National School of Dance.
11:02 – What weather for the Music Festival?
In this month of June which is mixed in terms of weather, the Music Festival, Saturday June 21, also promises to be disrupted by bad weather. According to Météo France forecasts, the evening will be cloudy over most of the country with rain forecast in Brittany and the center; with sunshine in the far south and Corsica. As for temperatures, in the evening, don’t expect more than 21 degrees in the north and 25 in the south.
10:47 – What to do in Lyon for the Music Festival?
Like all cities in France, Lyon is preparing to celebrate music this Friday with numerous events planned. Here is our selection – far from exhaustive – of concerts in Lyon for the Fête de la Musique:
- Classic on the roof of Lyon : 80 musicians from the city’s symphony orchestra take over the esplanade of the Fourvière basilica. A classical concert and a breathtaking view.
- Football and house : notice to house music fans with this DJ set planned at Place Antoine Jutard, with, as a bonus, the France-Netherlands Euro match.
- Reggae in La Roquette : Jamaican music in the spotlight at Parc de la Roquette with local artists and the British Brother Culture.
- Mixture of genres Place Saint-Jean : the Maison de la Jeunesse et de la Culture du Vieux-Lyon offers more than 6 hours of free open-air concerts with rock, jazz and pop.
- Rap and urban music in the Chartreux garden : urban cultures in the spotlight for the Fête de la Musique, with hip-hop, reggae or dancehall concerts.
10:29 – France 2 postpones the Music Festival
Due to the France-Netherlands match at Euro football, France 2 announces that the big evening of the Fête de la Musique, recorded on Friday, will only be broadcast on Saturday June 22. Expected, among others, are Slimane, Lara Fabian, Patrick Bruel, MC Solaar, Matt Pokora, Amir, Patrick Fiori, Vitaa, Santa, Mentissa, Hugues Auffray, Axelle Red, Roch Voisine, or Jeremy Frérot.
10:04 – What to do in Paris for the Fête de la Musique?
Like every year, hundreds of events will be organized throughout France. Obviously, Paris is no exception: numerous concerts are planned in the capital, with established artists or amateur musicians. Here is a selection of events for the Fête de la Musique in Paris:
- The Elysée celebrates music : if you want to dance under the gold of the Republic – and with Emmanuel Macron – go to the Elysée with Anastasia Rizikov, Canadian-Ukrainian pianist, Gilbert Montagné and a dj-set by Ofenbach and Agoria.
- France Inter at the Olympia: for the Fête de la Musique, public radio is organizing, like every year, a concert at the Olympia. Yamê, Luidji, Justice and Jamie XX are expected.
- A 100% feminine electro evening at the Gaîté Lyrique : orchestrated by the application, the evening hosts a hot evening with DJs Lola Ondikwa, Shino, cheetah, Lakna, Kaïlys, brigada and Shiivah.
- From classic to City Hall : the Paris Chamber Orchestra offers a concert on the square in front of Paris City Hall and will perform live extracts from Bizet’s Carmen and the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony.
- From rock to the Pantheon : The lonely stone offers, in front of the gates of the legendary Parisian building, covers of the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers, or Johnny Hallyday.
- The Arab World Institute celebrates : the famous trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf will perform his creation live Pulsation.
09:45 – The Music Festival is today!
Although the weather and current events have almost made us forget it, the 2024 edition of the Fête de la Musique is today! Hello and welcome to this live where you will find suggestions for events across France to properly celebrate this first day of summer.
Since its creation in 1982 by the Ministry of Culture, the Music Festival has been set on a unique and symbolic date: June 21, the day of the summer solstice, but also the longest day of the year. Normally, we should be able to count on a sunny day…
It was 1981, Jack Lang, then Minister of Culture, appointed Maurice Fleuret to the post of director of music and dance. Together, they are working on the creation of a huge cultural event that would put music and creation in the spotlight across the country.
“An event was needed that would allow us to measure the place music occupied in individual and collective life. A spectacular movement of awareness, a spontaneous impulse to alert public opinion and perhaps also… the political class. C This is why the Ministry of Culture had the idea of organizing a Music Festival in 1982. A non-directive celebration, which brings together all French people for whom music matters”, recounted Maurice Fleuret in Télérama, in 1983 .
The very first Music Festival was launched on June 21, 1982, the symbolic day of the summer solstice, the longest of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.