21th of June, everywhere you go you’ll hear music, from opera to jazz. The Fête unites big names at major venues with accordionists, bands, solo artists on street corners and choirs in church halls. All concerts are free.

It all began in October 1981, when Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance. He expressed the desire to “be the director of all kinds of music, from the accordion to the recording industry”.
In 1982 he made a study of the cultural habits of the French, to find that five million people – including one child out of two – played a musical instrument. He also wanted to find a way to bring people and their music out on to the streets.

Three weeks later the Fête de la Musique was born.

The musicians are a mix of professionals and amateurs and the festival policy is to give an equal place to amateur musicians, rock, jazz, singing and traditional music, all of which are given a chance to be heard alongside so-called “serious” music.

Events take place not just in Paris but all over the World and it is common for musicians to return to their home towns to perform.

The event has become a social phenomenon (it even had a postage stamp devoted to it in 1998) and its success has been exported to other cities across Europe, San Francisco, New York and Manila, not to mention Brazil and Colombia.

Make the most of the carnival atmosphere in the city and while you travel to and from the different venues make sure you check out the many and varied alternative gigs staged in local bars and cafes. This is not to be missed.

France

Hanovre (Allemagne)	Luxembourg
Italie	Italie (Festa della Musica Beni Culturali)
Le Caire (Egypte)	Valparaiso (Chili)
Nyon (Suisse)	Lausanne (Suisse)
Genève (Suisse)
Fremantle (Australie)	Brisbane (Australie)
Vienne (Autriche)	Côte d’Ivoire
San Benedetto Del Tronto (Italie)	Japon
Munich (Allemagne)	Jakarta (Indonésie)
Berlin (Allemagne)	San Jose (USA)
Seoul (Corée)	Santa Marta (Colombie)
La-Chaux-de-Fonds
San Jose (Costa Rica)	Perou
Yverdon-les-Bains (Suisse)	Yverdon-les-Bains (Suisse)
Barchi, Pesaro e Urbino (Italie)	Barranquilla (Colombie)
Buenos Aires (Argentine)	Rostock (Allemagne)
Dublin (Irlande)	Sao Luis (Brésil)
New York (USA)	Weimar (Allemagne)
Saint Vincent et les Grenadines	Wuhan (Chine)
Kamenz (Allemagne)	Armenia (Colombie)
Cochabamba (Bolivie)	Daegu (Corée)
Wolsztyn (Pologne)	Medellin (Colombie)
Panama	Thun (Suisse)
Assomption (Paraguay)	Limassol (Chypre)
Singapour	Valladolid (Espagne)
Loja (Equateur)	Maracaibo (Venezuela)
Port Harcourt (Nigéria)	Fribourg (Suisse)
Almeria (Espagne)	Pékin (Chine)
Logrono (Espagne)	Montréal (Canada)
Sydney (Australie)	Ambato (Equateur)
Chengdu (Chine)	Pereira (Colombie)
Reykjavik (Islande)	Chittagong (Bangladesh)
Tunis (Tunisie)	Sainte Marie (Madagascar)
Malaga (Espagne)	Cali (Colombie)
Botswana	Torun (Pologne)
Athènes (Grèce)	Karditsa (Grèce)
Quedlinburg (Allemagne)	Hong Kong (Chine)
Plovdiv (Bulgarie)	Port-au-Prince (Haïti)
Arménie	Erevan (Arménie)
Ermelo (Pays-Bas)	Vitoria (Brésil)
Valencia (Espagne)	Valencia (Espagne)
Hanau (Allemagne)	Erbil (Irak)
Qingdao (Chine)	Anjouan (Les Comores)
Kingston (Jamaïque)	Winnipeg (Canada)
Caracas (Venezuela)	Lozorno (Slovaquie)
Xian (Chine)	Hanoi (Vietnam)
Territoires palestiniens	Adelaide (Australie)

Mexico

The holiday of Cinco de Mayo is primarily a regional holiday in Mexico. There is some limited recognition of the holiday in other parts of the country. For the most part the celebrations combine food, music, and dancing.

In Mexico City, like the rest of the Mexican capitals, all the young men who serve the military services pledge allegiance to the Mexican national flag and the institutions that it represents.

United States

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. The date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry, much as St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year are used to celebrate those of Irish, German, and Chinese ancestry respectively. Similar to those holidays, Cinco de Mayo is observed by many Americans regardless of ethnic origin. Celebrations tend to draw both from traditional Mexican symbols, such as the Virgen de Guadalupe, and from prominent figures of Mexican descent in the United States, including César Chávez. To celebrate, many display Cinco de Mayo banners while school districts hold special events to educate pupils about its historical significance. Special events and celebrations highlight Mexican culture, especially in its music and regional dancing. Examples include ballet folklórico and mariachi demonstrations held annually at the Plaza del Pueblo de Los Angeles, near Olvera Street. Commercial interests in the United States have capitalized on the celebration, advertising Mexican products and services, with an emphasis on beverages, foods, and music.

Elsewhere

Events tied to Cinco de Mayo also occur outside Mexico and the United States. For example, a sky-diving club near Vancouver in Canada holds a Cinco de Mayo skydiving event. In the Cayman Islands, in the Caribbean, there is an annual Cinco de Mayo air guitar competition. As far away as the island of Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, revelers are encouraged to drink Mexican beer on May 5.