One of the best parts of Make Music Day is watching someone try an instrument for the very first time. This year, Easttop Harmonicas made that possible in more than 35 U.S. communities, donating 840 instruments for people of all ages to pick up a harmonica and discover the joy of making music together.
Thanks to Easttop for playing such a big part in Make Music Day 2026!
Make Music, Make Friends connected school children from Australia, Germany, India, Mexico, South Africa, Turkiye, U.K., and the U.S. on Make Music Day, sharing videos of their performances with each other. Watch the full playlist with videos from 33 schools!
#MySongIsYourSong invited songwriters from around the world to learn a song by another artist, and hear theirs covered in return. Watch the full playlist with over three dozen videos.
And check out recap videos from Make Music Turkiye, Make Music Mexico, Fête de la Musique Leipzig (Germany), France’s Ministry of Culture…
Congratulations to all who took part in last Sunday’s Make Music Day!
Reports are still coming in, but at least 5,000 free music-making events took place in the U.S. on June 21– along with performances by thousands more musicians in countries around the world who celebrated the day.
Check out 178 press clips about Make Music Day 2026, from media outlets in 79 U.S. cities, to learn about events you may have missed!
Make Music Berkeley’s impressive debut includes over four dozen free concerts in plazas, sidewalks, parks, patios, and storefronts across the city!
Presented by the Downtown Berkeley Association in partnership with Visit Berkeley and Councilmember Shoshana O’Keefe, the event includes a diverse range of musicians of all ages and skill levels. Join a neighborhood kazoo band, cheer on the globally-inspired musicians at the World Cup Stage in Downtown Berkeley Plaza, or listen to a 13-year-old who writes songs about her life traveling full-time on a sailboat with her family.
Since its creation 100 years ago, America’s immortal Route 66 has inspired countless songs by Nat King Cole, The Eagles, Nelson Riddle, Woody Guthrie, Alan Rhody, and many more.
For the highway’s Centennial celebration in 2026, Make Music Day chapters along the route from Chicago to Santa Monica are hosting special events on June 21 to highlight the highway’s central role in music history.
Take a Sunday drive, roll down the windows, and explore the music of the Mother Road for yourself!
Find more in our 2026 Press Archive
New York has been a proud part of the global Make Music Day since 2007, when New York City’s June 21 celebration began (marking its 20th edition this year)!
In 2026, with support from the New York State Council on the Arts, Make Music Day is getting louder and stronger across the Empire State.
Wake up to a boombox procession at 5:23am for the inaugural Make Music Chatham, listen to storefront serenades in downtown Troy and jam with a samba band, join a “River of Song” choral procession in Manhattan, hear the Library Jazz Band on the waterfront promenade in Yonkers, come to a ukulele meetup in Ossining (ukes provided), celebrate Father’s Day with music in Albany, check out local bands in Buffalo, and much, much more.
The harmonica events are just one part of our Mass Appeal initiative, an 18-year Make Music Day tradition which brings together people of all levels and ages to make music in large, single-instrument groups.
Vic Firth, setting the standard for percussion since its inception in 1963, is providing over 1,000 pairs of free drumsticks to 35 bucket drumming events around the country this year! No experience necessary – to take part, all you need is a beat in your heart.
In another beloved Make Music Day tradition, Rhythm Band Instruments, makers of the pitched hollow plastic tubes called Boomwhackers®, is donating percussion kits to 17 communities for participatory Mass Appeal percussion events, with a variety of Boomwhackers, egg shakers, and rhythm sticks to make music accessible to everyone.
Thank you, Vic Firth and Rhythm Band Instruments!