Current premium viewers: 163
In a troubled world, the best medicine is music and peace.
Held annually on June 21 to coincide with the Summer Solstice, Make Music Day is part of the international Fête de la Musique taking place in more than 2,000 cities around the world. The day-long, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts.
Make Music Day is open to any city, anywhere in the world, and to any band that loves music, organized globally by The NAMM Foundation. NAMM is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music.
NAMM Foundation
advancing active participation in music making through scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs
Karaoke Singers, Brass Players, Pianists, Drummers, Guitarists, and You Are Invited to Join In the Music-Making
Want to play? There’s always room in the band.
Musicians, rappers, and instrumentalists of all kinds are invited to collaborate on making June 21 a musical masterpiece. Singers, church choirs, jazz combos, rock bands, glee clubs, MCs, marching bands, mariachis, and every other kind of musician, of any age group or skill level, are all welcome – anywhere.
How did it start?
Make Music Day | Worldwide Celebration of Music | June 21st, 2025
Join the worldwide celebration of music! Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.
It all started 43 years ago in France.
In 1982, Jack Lang and his staff at the Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day when free music would be everywhere, all around each city: street corners, parks, rooftops, gardens, and storefronts.
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 evolved into a national holiday: the country shuts down on the summer solstice, and musicians take over. Almost 11% of French people (7 million people) have played an instrument or sung in public for the Fête de la Musique, and 64% of the country (43 million people) come out each year to listen.
Four decades later, the holiday has spread worldwide and is now celebrated in more than 2,000 cities across dozens of countries.
How did it come to the U.S.?
Eighteen years ago, the Fête de la Musique crossed the Atlantic with the debut of Make Music New York.
Starting as a grassroots initiative by a team of volunteers, the event quickly became a critical and popular success. Today, thousands of New York musicians – amateurs and professionals, of all ages and musical persuasions – perform in hundreds of free, outdoor concerts each June 21, earning praise for their “inspiring” (New York Times) and “thrilling” (New Yorker) performances.
In recent years, cities across the country have launched their own Make Music celebrations on June 21, making this musical holiday a truly national phenomenon.
On June 21, 2024, 141 U.S. cities organized 5,304 free concerts, with over 100 each in Aberdeen, WA, Chattanooga, TN, Fairfield, CT, Fullerton, CA, Kansas City, MO, Madison, WI, New York, NY, Salem, OR, and Southeastern, CT…all on a single day.
- Alabama: Florence, Gulf Shores, Huntsville, Mobile;
- Arizona: Phoenix, West Valley;
- California: Anaheim, Auburn, Big Bear, Claremont, Coachella Valley, Costa Mesa, Fullerton,
- Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Jose;
- Colorado: Denver;
- Connecticut: Bethel, Danbury, Fairfield, Georgetown, Hartford, Hebron, Middletown, New Haven, New London, Northwest CT, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Southbury, Southeast CT, Waterbury, Windsor;
- Florida: Nassau County, Orange County, Palm Beach, Tallahassee;
- Georgia: Macon;
- Hawai’i: statewide;
- Illinois: Chicago, Marion, Wheaton;
- Indiana: Indianapolis;
- Iowa: Cedar Falls;
- Massachusetts: Boston;
- Michigan: Ann Arbor, Escanaba;
- Minnesota: Hastings;
- Missouri: Columbia, Kansas City, Liberty, Neosho, St. Louis;
- North Carolina: Bertie County, Brunswick County, Catawba County, Kinston, Raleigh, Stanly County, Statesville, Vance County, Wilmington;
- New Jersey: Fair Lawn, Glassboro, Hackensack, Montclair, Newark;
- New York: Albany, New York City, Ossining, Troy, Woodstock, Wyoming County, Yonkers;
- Ohio: Cincinnati;
- Oklahoma: Muskogee, Tulsa;
- Oregon: Clatsop County, Eugene, McMinnville, Salem;
- Pennsylvania: Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, York County;
- Tennessee: Chattanooga, Germantown, Knoxville, Nashville;
- Texas: Alpine, Buda, College Station, Dallas, Denison, Fort Worth, Frisco, Galveston, Henderson County, Houston, Hutto, Laredo, Marble Falls, McKinney, Mexia, New Braunfels, Odessa, Port Aransas, Salado, San Antonio, San Marcos, South Padre Island, Sugar Land, Tyler, Waco, Waxahachie, Wimberley;
- Vermont: statewide;
- Washington: Aberdeen, Gig Harbor, Issaquah;
- Wisconsin: Amery, Appleton, Ashland, Baraboo, Beloit, Cable, Cambridge, Cross Plains, DeForest, Dodgeville, Green Bay, Hayward, Kenosha, Land O’Lakes, Madeline Island, Madison, Marshfield, Middleton, Milwaukee, Monona, Oshkosh, Platteville, Shell Lake-Spooner, Stevens Point, Sun Prairie, Superior, Verona.
In 2014, to coordinate and expand their efforts, organizers from across North America who were involved with Make Music founded the Make Music Alliance.
Brazil
Make Music Day was celebrated in more than 100 Brazilian cities in 2023 with performances, workshops, and jam sessions, sponsored by the Brazilian music industry organization Anafima. Mestre Robson Miguel performed with a 200-member orchestra in his castle, Patrícia Shaki paid tribute to Rita Lee and Tina Turner, Sandro Haick hosted a Musical Playing Cards Workshop, and Selma Teixeira showcased her “Os Incríveis 60 Years Band” project. Ten Água Doce stores in Paraná had open stages, while the Municipal Government of Maringá and its Departments of Education and Culture programmed Make Music Day events in every one of the city’s 116 public schools.
China
Led by the China Musical Instruments Association, Make Music China grew to 15,000 events in 200 cities in 2023. Highlights included a grand opening ceremony in Huangqiao with an ensemble of thousands of musicians, a “Lang Lang Music Bus” on Shenzhen’s main bus lines in honor of the famous pianist, and 27 provinces feature performances with hundreds playing the Electronic Wind Instrument.
Cyprus
Based in the historic city of Nicosia, and in collaboration with Artio, Make Music Cyprus proudly celebrated its fifth year in 2023, with 17 locations featuring over 350 talented participants from across the country.
Germany
Germany’s Fête de la Musique is organized by local groups in 102 cities around the country, coordinated by a team at the MusikZentrum in Hannover. The country’s first Fête de la Musique, and still the largest, is the celebration in Berlin where 621 events took place in 2023. In a special unifying project last year, 19 German cities collaborated on a joint sing-along of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and the lullaby “Der Mond ist aufgegangen” at 7pm.
Ghana
Led by Phasers Acoustics, Make Music Ghana entered its second year in 2023. This year’s edition featured band performances throughout the Accra and Marina Malls, a business conference for up-and-coming musicians, acoustic open mics at the Alliance Française, and much more.
Italy
Italy’s Festa della Musica began in 1985, shortly after the founding of France’s Fête de la Musique, and became a national event in 1994. In the last few years it has grown enormously, encompassing 832 cities and 25,645 musical groups across the country in 2023.
Kenya
Led by Showbiz Info Ltd, Make Music Kenya’s second year included musical partnerships with restaurants, bars, Strathmore University, and cultural centers in Nairobi and other cities.
Mexico
Make Music Mexico thrived in 2023, with over 104 events across 10 states and 16 cities, in venues ranging from cafes to museums and even a baseball stadium in Torreón. Participating states include Mexico City, State of Mexico, Coahuila, Querétaro, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Puebla, Tamaulipas, Tabasco, and Zacatecas.
New Zealand
Nigeria
Music retailer Showgear organizes dozens of events around Lagos for Make Music Day each year, including a music business conference, pop-up worship music, “learn to DJ” classes, play-along drumming events, and a “Shutdown” concert finale with Nigerian superstars. Meanwhile, they have led the expansion of Make Music Day to five other cities around the country (Abuja, Ibadan, Ife, Owerri, and Uyo).
South Africa
The first Make Music South Africa in 2023 included a 12-hour music marathon in Johannesburg, a “kazoo-off”, musical playgrounds, sound walls and other participatory projects around the country.
Türkiye
The second Make Music Türkiye in 2023 featured special programs at the Gazhane Museum in Istanbul, including body percussion, sound and vocal painting, a collective songwriting workshop, and musical activities for children.
