Make Music Day is the annual global celebration of music held on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year: June 21. This year it features an exciting, creative and diverse lineup of both virtual and in-person music-making events that will immerse and enthrall participants while spotlighting music's power to connect, comfort, unite and uplift.
Each year, over 1,000 cities around the world throw citywide music celebrations on June 21. It all started 39 years ago in France.
In 1982, France’s Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free, live music would be everywhere: street corners and parks, rooftops and gardens, store fronts and mountaintops.
And, unlike a typical music festival, anyone and everyone would be invited to join and play music, or host performances. The event would take place on the summer solstice, June 21, and would be called Fête De La Musique. (In French, the name means both “festival of music” and “make music!”)
Amazingly enough, this dream has come true. The Fête has turned into a true national holiday: France shuts down on the summer solstice and musicians take over. Almost 8% of the country (5 million people) have played an instrument or sung in public for the Fête de la Musique.
Three decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 120 countries.
In the same way that the French Fête de la Musique celebrates the start of the summer season, Make Music Day extends an invitation to celebrate across the United States and promotes hundreds of artists of all genres and backgrounds in the process.
In North America, the Make Music Alliance, with support from NAMM Foundation, facilitates over 80 June 21st celebrations.
All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or host musical events, may register here. A full schedule of virtual and in-person events will be posted on the website in early June.
As part of the festivities, Make Music Miami will present a series of concerts from morning to night, beginning at Brickell's Underline Sound Stage in the morning, continuing at downtown's Paul Walker Park, then at Miami's Beach's Lincoln Road, and ending at the North Beach Bandshell featuring French Brazilian DJ Ella Romand Live with friends and Miami Bloco.
The Miami event will also host several engaging activities including Flowerpot Music, Mish Mash Studios, #MySongIsYourSong, Leaf Music, and a Music Lesson Marathon.
Find the complete program here.
This edition is presented by Buskerfest Miami, The Rhythm Foundation, Lincoln Road BID, Music Access Miami, the Cultural Services of the Consulate General of France in Miami, and the Alliance Française Miami Metro, with the support of France Florida Foundation for the Arts and many many civic partners.
Houston is getting ready for its first edition of Fête de la Musique / Make Music Day. Enjoy a program of free concerts performed both across the city and online throughout the day, as well as a special event presented by the City of Houston, the Cultural Service of the French Embassy in Houston, and the Consulate General of France in Houston.
Whether you are an orchestra musician, rapper, member of a choir or rock band, any and all are welcome to publicly share their music on this day. Regardless of skill, you are invited to join in.
Sign up on the Make Music Day Houston webpage to make your event public with the rest of the city.
Promote your event with the online poster generator and the hashtag #MakeMusicDay so that your content can be seen by other participants!
There are also online projects that you can partake in, such as taking a free live music lesson, playing a song Live From Home, contributing to a music production with Bedroom Studio, singing in the Heart Chant, or joining one of this year’s many other featured national projects.
More information here.
Kicking off Houston's premiere Make Music Day
Mayor Sylvester Turner and French Consul General Alexis Andres will virtually kick off Make Music Day Houston via livestream on Monday, June 21 at 10:30am. The Mayor and the French Consul General will be joined virtually by Houston icon Bun B and French rapper James the Prophet.
Following their introduction, Houston Television (HTV) will livestream a conversation moderated by Joey Guerra, music critic for the Houston Chronicle, between Bun B and James the Prophet. The program will end with a performance by French artists James the Prophet, Walkman the Soul, and Pab the Kid.
About Bun B
Bernard Freeman, known as Bun B, formed the rap duo Underground Kingz in the early ‘90s with Pimp C which released chart-topping albums. Bun B went on to pursue a solo career and has made his mark on Houston in different spaces.
About James the Prophet
James the Prophet, a Paris-based French, English and American rapper, began his career in 2015 on Soundcloud. Rapping in English, his work brought him to be signed by Sony-distributed label Rupture in 2018.
2021 marks the 15th year of Make Music New York, where, from 10 in the morning to 10 at night, all kinds of musicians — young and old, amateurs and professionals, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, sidewalks, parks and plazas to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.
Thousands of amateur musicians living in the Big Apple seize the opportunity to play in public spaces, often for the biggest crowds of their lives. Professional musicians perform for new audiences, who come out from under their headphones to hear live tunes. Make Music New York includes a number of signature projects: “Mass Appeal Concerts” in which dozens of musicians band together to perform massive pieces written for a specific type of instrument “Punk Island”, “Porch Stomp” folk festival, “Street Studios” and many more.
Find the complete program here.
