Fête de la Musique

On June 21st one can listen to all styles of music all over Berlin without paying a cent. Bands, orchestras, choirs, soloists and DJs perform music on public squares, in the streets and in other public spaces, creating a joyful atmosphere. In total, there are over one hundred venues - open-air and indoor - across the city, most of them in the inner city districts of Friedrichshain- Kreuzberg, Mitte and Pankow.

The Fête de la musique is not a Berlin event per se: Musicians and music lovers from over 340 cities worldwide, among them 60 European cities, celebrate the beginning of summer with the open air music festival.

The Fête de la Musique was founded by Jack Lang, the then French Minister of Culture in Paris in 1982. In the beginning the festival was a humble burst of musical idealism. Within three decades it became a global success and attracts players and listeners all over the world today.

Berlin celebrated its first Fête de la Musique in 1995 and has since been organized by the Fête Company. Having started as a small movement, the festival has since grown into one of the largest and most widely attended music festivals in Berlin.