About
Join the worldwide celebration of music on June 21!
Make Music is a free celebration of music around the world on Sunday, June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 2,000 cities in 120 countries. More than 5,304K music-making events took place nationwide in 2025.
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.
About Fresh Arts
Fresh Arts is a Houston-based nonprofit that empowers local artists through professional development, resource sharing, and community connection. For over 20 years, Fresh Arts has supported 60,000+ artists across disciplines through workshops, fiscal sponsorships, artist showcases, and public art initiatives. With programs like Artist INC Houston, the Fresh Arts Summit, and the Space Taking Artist Residency, we foster creativity, collaboration, and economic growth in the arts. Our mission is to build knowledge, amplify resources, and connect communities through art—making Houston a place where artists and communities thrive together.
For more info, visit Fresh Arts. 
About Houston Professional Musicians’ Association
The Houston Professional Musicians’ Association (HPMA) by way of the American Federation of Musicians provides a way to live and work in the music business, to be treated with dignity and compensated fairly. The union also provides a meaningful voice in decisions which affect musicians and livelihoods because each member has a vote. The union vows to treat each other with respect and dignity without regard to ethnicity, creed, gender, age, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital or family status, or national origin. The union opposes exploitation in any form through the force of our union solidarity. The union also honors the standards and expectations set by following the bylaws collectively created, and actively participate in the democratic institutions of our union.
About Consul General of France
Directed by Valérie Baraban, Consul General of France, the Consulate is at your service for the formalities of daily life; support those who are in difficulty; ensure that children receive an education in French; support French companies that want to sell or set up in the United States; and help American companies that wish to invest in France.
The Consulate is at the service of men and women who want to study, research or participate in the cultural influence of France. It hosts, amongst other, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Houston that develops artistic, educational and academic activities in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
It is committed with its American partners to the promotion and the support of Franco-American exchanges in the artistic, audiovisual, literary, educational, academic and non-governmental fields.
For more info, visit the Consulate General of France in Houston.
About Houston Music Advisory Board
Established in 2022 by the City of Houston, the Houston Music Advisory Board (HMAB) is made up of a diverse, cross-sector of professionals in the local music industry. The members are appointed to help advance the local music industry through policy recommendations, advocacy, and community engagement. As a state-certified Music-Friendly City, the HMAB also acts as a liaison between Houston musicians and Texas Music Office.
For more information, visit The Houston Music Advisory Board
Participate
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 #MakeMusicDayHou when you share it. On June 21, pull out your instrument and start playing. Piece of cake!
Or join a participatory project where you can just bring your instrument – or yourself – and join in! Take a free live music lesson, play a song Live From Home, contribute to a Bedroom Studio, sing in the Heart Chant, or join one of this year’s many other featured national projects.
COVID-19 Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about how it all works? Our Frequently Asked Questions cover everything you need to know about Make Music Houston—from who can participate and where musicians can play, to hosting concerts, promotion, logistics, and more. Whether you’re a performer, host, or just curious, you’ll find clear answers here. Click here to view the FAQs.
How To Get involved
Volunteers are at the heart of Make Music Day Houston, helping bring this citywide celebration of music to life. From supporting event activities across Houston to capturing special moments and assisting with on-the-ground logistics, there are a variety of ways to get involved. Whether you’re passionate about music, community, or just want to be part of something exciting, we’d love to have you join us. Click the link below to sign up and choose the volunteer role that best fits your availability. Click here to volunteer for Make Music Day