Music festivals have their origins in the hippy era, but today the best festivals in the world go way beyond the mud, acid and rock music clichés. Every year, these giant gatherings grow in popularity, size and scope. We could say that they are a fix date in the calendars of music and good vibe lovers.
The festivals
So much that music festivals are unique places. It may be because of the place where they are being held at, the people that go to them, the musicians that play. There are never two alike.
It’s quiete simple: a music festival is the thing that your grandparents criticize (they went when they were younger but now they don’t see the point). It’s the announcement that concerns your parents and it is a real representation of our generation’s push toward social consciousness.
So, all in all they are an outstanding celebration of love, happiness, drugs, clothing, camping and mass confusion coupled with the artists who are coming to define an entire generation of music.
What all of this means is that festivals are an exceptional love, happiness, camping and massive confusion celebration added to an artist that may define a moment in our time.
Another great fact about music festivals is that for some reason, it seems that the best time to enjoy a music festival is definitely during the summer and Europe offers each year thousands of summer music festivals. However, Fête de la Musique, is a festival that is not only celebrate in one place, it is celebrate around the world.
The Fête de la Musique, also known as Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration taking place on June 21st.
The best thing is that you have the opportunity of enjoying good music in open spaces, the bad is that is too short.
The concept of an all-day musical celebration on the days of the solstice was devised by the French Minister of Culture Mr. Jack Lang. The festival later became celebrated in 120 countries around the world.
Solkes: Since when is FDM celebrated in Berlin or Germany (generally speaking)?
Simone Hofmann, Fete Company: Berlin is celebrating FdM since 1995 and was the first German city to participate.
Solkes: How has the festival impacted the community?
Simone Hofmann, Fete Company: FdM in Berlin today highlights the summer’s cultural calendar. It spreads all over the city with a hundred stages in all districts, hosted by cafes, clubs, churches, neighborhood initiatives, youth centers and even schools. All musical styles are represented including classical music, world music, chanson and jazz.
Music everywhere
It all began over two decades ago, in October 1981, when Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance and consequently applied his reflections to the musical practice and its evolution: “the music everywhere and the concert nowhere”.
Music doesn’t unite us, it connects us in such magical ways that I believe that with out it we wouldn’t exist as a race.
A year later, 1982, he discovered a study on the cultural habits of the French and it stated that five million people, one child out of two, played a musical instrument. This was the true beginning of it all. He began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets.
From that moment on, the festival has taken a life of its own. It has become an international singularity. It’s actually amazing… it is celebrated on the same day in more than 700 cities in 120 countries (Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Japan, to name a few).
Fête de la Musique’s purpose is to promote music in two basic ways. Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets and many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public.
For this street music extravaganza, preparations take place in swiftness. As always, the results exceed all expectations. It is summer solstice and music lovers wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes.
Its obvious, that day, finding a shadow is not easy to do. Thousands of initiatives take place in all France and in other countries. The musicians settle down everywhere in streets, public gardens, kiosks, courts, gardens, stations, squares, amongst others.
The German capital
Solkes: How has the Berlin audience reacted to it?
Simone Hofmann, Fete Company: The audience loves FdM and tens of thousand people stroll thru the streets celebrating music even when it rains. It’s like New Year’s Eve in summer.
Solkes: How will the FDM continue to evolve?
Simone Hofmann, Fete Company: Fête de la Musique Berlin is financed entirely by the public sector, 75% of which is funded by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin, whose support continues through 2017.
Fête de la Musique is a brand, a concept and a movement that continues to grow getting more and more international recognition as the years go by. Everyone wants to go and everyone talks about it. The best part is that its completely free, whoever want to go just need to step into the street.
Entire families, music lovers, children, teens, grandparents, couples, they are all welcome. The streets overflow with all kinds of people; great attitude, food and above all music.
The power of music
Music is something magical. It is salve for all of life’s emotional wounds. The crazy thing about music is that there’s so much out there that there’s literally something for every mood imaginable.
There’s music to calm you down, there’s music to put you in an unearthly state, there’s music to pump you up and there’s music that simply serves to take away silence.
It is music with the public and for the public.
Everyone has a favorite song or artist and it’s no surprise that liking the same music can be both a topic of conversation and a tool for connection. Furthermore, personalities can even be determined by the types of music people listen to.
This is something to ponder for a minute or two. There are classical people, there are artsy/indie people, there are hard rock people, there are alternative people, and there are country people. There are so many sides that come from music that it’s no surprise that music can be as contentious as politics or religion. It’s different for everybody.
A party for the music
In 2014, more than 120 countries in the world participated in the Fête de la Musique. The Fête de la Musique is also a carrier of the new musical trends: revival of the traditional music, the explosion of the music from all over the world, the development of choirs, appearance of the rap, the techno, etc.
The Fête de la Musique favors so naturally the visibility and the access to the artistic and cultural practices and shows every year its capacity to evolve and to perpetuate.
Solkes: What are some of your best memories regarding the FDM?
Simone Hofmann, Fete Company: A summer day with sunshine and the folks strolling through the city enjoying music. The concerts of the popular bands Element of Crime or Bonaparte, causing traffic jams. The Savignyplatz closed for traffic as people are dancing on the street at Brel’s Café.
Solkes: If someone is reading this, and they have never visited Berlin or FDM what would you tell them?
Simone Hofmann, Fete Company: Come and join in! FDM is the best opportunity to explore the city in all it’s facets.
Something that I find amazing is the wide range of genres leaves space for rock fans to have the opportunity to see some of the top artists of the genre in a more intimate setting than one would expect. Last year, tens of thousands of musicians and music lovers around the country celebrated there love for music.
One day with all kinds of live music without paying a cent sounds like heaven. Bands, orchestras, choirs, soloists and DJs perform music on public squares, in the streets and in other public spaces, creating a joyful atmosphere.
Ending on a good note
Many people just decided to pick up an instrument for the first time, joined up with a community of fellow musicians, and discovered something that they never knew existed. It is a joyous way to spend the longest day of the year.
The festival originated in a humble burst of musical idealism and a few power connections. In only two decades has become a wildly popular global event. Every year on the 21st of June, musicians and bands play live music in the streets of different cities.
In terms of music festivities, there is nothing like Music Day. It is definitely the place to see and be seen. An almost perfect match, it is sublime. A place where you can wear whatever you want, do whatever you want, and be whoever you want.
