Fête de la Musique

   (Nuit de la musique)

   Music night, the night of the summer solstice, or longest day, 21st June. The first fête de la musique took place in 1982, and the even was made official the following year by culture minister Jack Lang. Since then, the idea has been copied by over 100 countries worldwide. Originally, the idea was that on the evening of the longest day, anyone who wanted could make music anywhere in the streets until the early hours of the morning. That is how it was in the beginning, and except in specially organised events, most of the music was from amateurs, with minimal amplification. More recently, in many towns, organisation of the Fête de la Musique has been largely taken over or coordinated by councils, and the best places have been allotted to rock groups - to the detriment of other less noisy musicians. Following years of complaints from town-centre residents, most councils have now limited the volume at which bands can play, and fixed a shut-down time, often 1 a.m.