Fête de la Musique

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This article refers to a music festival which began in Europe but which is now international. There is a (local) Lebanese music festival also called Fête de la Musique.

The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21, which is usually the summer solstice.

The Fête de la Musique began in France and has since spread to Australia, Belgium, Britain, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Israel (in Tel-Aviv), China, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Colombia and other countries. New York City held its first festival in 2007.

The idea was conceived by French Music and Dance director Maurice Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1981 and first took place in 1982.

Its purpose is to promote music in two ways:

Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan Faites de la musique (Make music), a homophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to promote this goal.
Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. One of the caveats to being sancioned by the official Fete de la Musique organization in Paris that all concerts must be free to the public. It's not required that musicians play for free, though many do so.

The Fête de la Musique is one of the few nights of the year where, under French law, there is no noise restriction. The musicians can play all night without fear of neighbours calling the police.