June 21st: the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the day where France fully maximizes this extended daylight. France utilizes this longest day by filling it with local music, artists, bands, and plenty of dancing for the Fête de la Musique. My French friends described this incredible spectacle as streets lined with local artists, local marching bands decorating the streets, and plenty of Brazilians doing capoeira at any corner, and they did not disappoint!
Fête de la Musique is a national French holiday where in every area of France, the whole day is dedicated to enjoying local artists and filling the longest day of the year with community and dancing. Throughout France you can find masses of people taking to the streets and enjoying local music and festivities.
When discussing with a French rugby player staying at my hostel, he kept saying “merci Jack Lang!” while we were sharing our experiences at the Fête de la Musique, which he credited the development of this world music day to the Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, in 1981. From the tourism office in Anglet, I learned that Fête de la Musique has become an international success, spreading to over 120 countries around the world that celebrate accessibility to music. From my conversations with the tourism office and my French friends, I have learned that, particularly in the Basque Country in France, there is great emphasis on gathering in community for dancing and music.
On June 21st, I navigated the public transport alongside friends from my language school and from my hostel, practicing our French as we attempted to find our way back to the right bus after initially taking the bus in the opposite direction. While it prolonged our journey to the Fete de la Musique, it certainly helped us practice our French! Once we made it to the city of Bayonne, we walked along the river, following a boat that was chugging along towards the sound of music.
We walked along the cobblestone streets and were met with our first performance, a small tent set up along the river with a band singing quite a diverse selection of music, from traditional French songs, to “Royals” by Lorde. We enjoyed a few songs at the first tent, and then after sharing some dances with locals, we carried on to the center where there was a large square, with different corners of the square featuring local artists and dancers, and a large stage on another end of the square. The origins of Fête de la Musique come from a desire to bring together musicians from professionals to amateurs to light up the street with song and dance. For the program for Fête de la Musique in Bayonne, I saw this played out, with amateur artists garnering large crowds in different streets, and professional performers being featured on stages later into the night. In my conversations with passersby, everyone seemed very proud of this tradition to celebrate music from all over the world, and dedicating a day to appreciating the community that music brings.
As the night progressed, I had had many conversations with various locals who expressed how the Fete de la Musique was their “jour préféré de l’année!” expressing how this day dedicated to music was their favorite day of the year! I can absolutely see why, as it is an excellent way to explore new types of music, dance with friends, and in my case, practice some French in expressing our love for the performers! I am already trying to plan my return to France around June 21st so I can relive this music-filled day!