World Music Day (also called Make Music Day) began in France when, in 1982, Jack Lang, Maurice Fleuret and staff at the French Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They envisioned a day where free music would be everywhere, in every city, on street corners, parks, rooftops, gardens, and store fronts. 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 came true. The Fête has turned into a true national holiday: the country shuts down on the summer solstice and musicians take over. Almost 11% of French people have played an instrument or sung in public for the Fête de la Musique, and 64% of the country comes out every year to listen. Four decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 1,000 cities in 120 different countries.

The best way to celebrate World Music Day is to spend the day listening to your favorites, and explore the web for music from different cultures. You can explore Finnish and Hungarian, Italian and Mongolian, and then start digging into folk music, and Indian classical music. With sources like these, it’s easier than ever to explore the panorama of musical experiences the world has to offer. You can also pick up an instrument and start adding your own voice to the choir as well.

In 2006, the Fête de la Musique crossed the Atlantic with the debut of Make Music New York. Since then, more than 80 additional cities have or are planning on their own annual musical celebrations, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Madison (WI), and others.