Fête de la Musique continues its tradition of multiple-venue musical conviviality on its 24th year with an exciting lineup of artists.
Music fans around the country will be treated with the best of the local music scene on June 23, 29, and 30. Besides its premier stages such as A-Venue Parking Lot and Greenbelt 3 Park in Makati City, Puerto Real Gardens in Intramuros, Baguio City, and Pagsanjan, Laguna, different independent outfits will have genre-based pocket stages that cater to all tastes in music. 35 pocket stages on June 23 are scattered across different bars, restaurants, artistic spaces, and cultural hubs.
Launched in France in the 1980s and then initiated by the French cultural centres abroad, the annual day of music-making Fête de la Musique has since expanded to over 800 cities and 120 countries with thousands of events worldwide.
In 1981, Maurice Fleuret, Director of Music and Dance at French Ministry of Culture, applied his reflections to the musical practice and its evolution: “the music everywhere and the concert nowhere”. When then-French Minister of Culture Jack Lang introduced the event in 1982, the objective was to bring music out into the streets, inviting all those who could play an instrument or carry a tune to perform. The festival, through the years, has expanded into an event that promotes camaraderie, artistic collaboration, and sharing of musical knowledge and experience.
In the Philippines, one of Fête de la Musique’s unique features is the simultaneous concerts in different venues for different musical genres. From pop to hip-hop, reggae to classical, electronic to jazz, the magic of Fête de la Musique transcends across all musical taste, bringing together people from all walks of life.
“It’s not only a music festival where you go buy a ticket and you see bands,” Jean-Pierre Dumont, Executive Director of Alliance Francaise de Manille said. “The thing here is that, with our partners, it’s a means of expression, it’s a time of year where people can express themselves through their music.”