World Music Day 2024: bringing up the colours of the Summer Olympic Games

Since its creation in 1982, all French territories, whether small rural village or major city, are committed to turn this 21 June into “a special moment, an expression of musical life in all its aspects and a reflect of its continuous vitality”, as explains the ministry of culture, creator and coordinator of this celebration. The Fête de la Musique (World Music Day) was born in France, but gradually took considerable extent worldwide: it has become a “national event” in many countries (Germany, Luxemburg, Italy, Greece, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and more) and one of the most attended events in major cities such as New York, Berlin or Mexico. By adapting to the traditions and culture of each countries, the Fête de la Musique managed to “invent itself, reinvent itself , and become an iconic international music event”.

Sport and music on the menu

This year, in France, the Fête de la Musique will bear the colours of the Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024. Though the theme is not exclusive, special attention was brought to the bridges between music and sport. The first aspect of this attention is the event poster, made by graphic design workshop AAAAA, and specifically two young creators, Marie Sourd et Léopold Roux, for whom “sport and music are intertwined”.

“In music and in sports, there’s a sense of collectiveness: you have to play as a group”, says one of the creators, for whom “music is something that you live physically, live, and that you share, just like sport! ”. And in music and in sports, there’s even a sense of rhythm, as can be seen in several disciplines in the Olympic Games that are “done in music” such as horse riding, gymnastics, synchronized swimming and breaking.

Breaking, when culture and sport become one

Breaking, an acrobatic dance present in the Olympic Games, finds a special echo in this World Music Day 2024, when “culture and sport become one”. In this discipline, present for the first time in 2024 in the Olympic Games, “dancers never know the music beforehand”, explains the ministry of culture. They spontaneously create “a circle called cypher and in a handful of seconds, must understand the rhythm of a tune and dance on its variations”.

To “boost creativity and generate a festive atmosphere”, DJs have a pivotal role in this sport. This is why the website dedicated to the event offers a meeting with one of them, DJ One Up, a French DJ and music producer, who “travels around the world and competitions”. Breaking has become popular all over the world and is now available in competitions. In solo or team battles, b-boys and b-girls (as breaking dancers call themselves) dance freely in turns. Their performance is then judged by a jury using 5 criteria: technicity, musicality, execution, vocabulary and performance.

Brass bands and hip hop, pluralism and diversity

Besides breaking, many additional forms of musical expressions are also promoted. Indeed, the Fête de la musique means “thousands of artists, animators and organisers, professionals and volunteers committed in the event, who love music and want to share it with everyone”. This year, for example, the ministry wants to highlight “two styles which are very dear to the French”: brass bands and hip hop, two very popular musical expressions. Putting the highlight on these, according to the ministry, “is putting the spotlights on pluralism, the importance of diversity and the cultural rights of citizens. It also means acknowledging the power of music to make society”.

But let’s rest assured: breaking, hip hop and brass bands are not the only styles for the Fête de la Musique, far from it! You can use an interactive map covering France, but also the whole world to find your perfect festive event you want by musical genre or place. There’s everything for all tastes! In 2023, over 1,300 events were listed throughout the world, often organised by the French Institutes. And there should be even more this year to share everywhere this “ideal of shared friendliness and culture”!

All information and programmes in France and the world: https://fetedelamusique.culture.gouv.fr/