It’s perhaps the noisiest day of the year for Parisians! No need for dodgy downloading to benefit from free music on 21st June…

If you’ve never been in Paris on the 21st June, you probably can’t understand, but try to imagine every street corner in the city being taken over by groups, one-man bands, guitarists, techno DJs, ragga sound systems… and Hotel California, Hotel California, Hotel California… Yep, it’s been going on for the last 27 years and if you’re around that Sunday there’s simply no way you can escape it.

This year may see fewer Eagles covers and a little more tradition, as the La Fête de la Musique celebrates “50 years of French chanson”. Perhaps you have a hint of Piaf in you? Or a touch of Maurice Chevalier? Feel free to download the sheet music from the official site and get ready to warble away to your heart’s content!

The exact programme isn’t yet finalised, but we’ll be updating you as soon as it is (probably just a week before the date). Usually there are a few large concerts organised too, as well as quite a few club nights perhaps fewer than last year though, when the 21st June was  a Saturday).

Meanwhile check out the official site (all in French though) for more background info on the event, and make sure you have nothing planned for Monday 22nd June – you may be too tired to get anything done…

The official Fête de la Musique site is here.

You can join the Facebook group here.

Or follow the Twitter feed here.

And if you fancy even more music a week later – more boom boom boom this time – why not try the Gay Pride march that we have all the info on here?