Fête de la Musique: An international celebration of all things musical

Today (21 June) is the international day of music or if you are Parisian then its Fête de la Musique for you. More than 700 cities across 120 countries, including Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Japan celebrate World Music Day today. This year it coincides with the Indian favourite International Yoga day. If you, like Nitish Kumar, refuse to celebrate International Yoga Day and want to concentrate on listening to music, here’s our guide for you: What is Fête de la Musique? [caption id=“attachment_2846674” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative Image. Picture Credit: pixabay/cc[/caption] Make Music Day or World Music Day originated in France in 1982, when French Culture Minister Jack Lang followed his idea of ‘the music everywhere and the concert nowhere’. Now the idea of the music festival has spread across the globe with the same set of principles: the day is held on the mid-summer solstice and the music is free – the concerts are accessible to all. In most of Europe, public spaces host the Fête de la Musique and bring people out on the street. This year the theme is “Music is stronger than …” as a way to restore restore faith and a little bit of colour in the people of France after two terror attacks in Paris killed more than 100 people last year. According to culture Minister Audrey Azoulay the festival is about, “overcoming our fears, fighting division, because music is stronger than those who want to shut it off.” Fête de la Musique in India While there are no free concerts happening on the streets here, all the popular music venues are hosting bands across major cities, be it Mumbai, Pune, Delhi or Bangalore. The sort of music played at the festival differs from place and event, but this year, you can have Pearl Jam and Led Zeppelin-esque headbanging music and also classical folksy tunes. If nothing else, put on your earphones and listen to your favourite melodies to celebrate the 35th edition of the festival.