Make Music is a free celebration of music around the world on Saturday, June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries. More than 4.0K music-making events took place nationwide in 2023.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

It all started over 40 years ago in France.

In 1982, France’s Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free, live music would be everywhere: street corners and parks, rooftops and gardens, store fronts and mountaintops.

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 turned into a true national holiday: France shuts down on the summer solstice and musicians take over. Almost 8% of the country (5 million people) have played an instrument or sung in public for the Fête de la Musique.

Over four decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 120 cities in the U.S. Here in the States, the presenting sponsor is the NAMM Foundation.

Sign Up as a Performer or Venue

What are you waiting for? Just make music!
We invite musicians, rappers and instrumentalists of all kinds 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.

Use our poster generator to promote your event (whether live or virtual), and use the hashtag #MakeMusicDay and #MakeMusicGalveston when you share it. On June 21, pull out your instrument and start playing. Piece of cake!

You can support Make Music Day by participating as a performer or venue, donating to a local chapter, volunteering your time, or sharing the event with others. You can also host a performance, sponsor an event, or use social media to share the excitement. 

Get in touch with us at galveston@makemusicday.org.