How a French holiday turned into a global music day, and which Texas cities are participating
AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 2,000 cities around the world each year turn into a symphony of free music performances everywhere: street corners, parks, venues, and more.
Make Music Day is a growing holiday of sorts, where people are invited to play music, host performances, or attend free music shows. Twenty-five cities and towns in Texas will participate this year, up from just 15 last year.
It started in France in 1982 when a staffer at the Ministry of Culture, Jack Lang, came up with the idea for a musical holiday, Fête De La Musique, according to the Make Music Day website.
Fête De La Musique in French means both “festival of music” and “make music,” per the website. Eventually, the fête grew into a national French holiday, and eventually a worldwide event, celebrated on the summer solstice.
Aaron Friedman, the Executive Director of the Make Music Alliance — the organization that coordinates and inspires people to participate in the day — talked about the holiday and its origins.
“Initially, the idea was just that on this one day, the government would allow people to play musical instruments in public without requiring them to get a permit. So it was one day when you could just come out onto the streets and start playing music,” he explained. “And when the event began, they only announced it three weeks in advance. They said, you know, come out for 30 minutes. That’s the limit. On June 21 and they had hundreds of thousands of people come out all day, taking over sidewalks, highways, city hall steps. It was just like an outpouring that they were not expecting. And it’s just become this tradition in France every year, people do that on the summer solstice, June 21, and now it’s been spreading around the world.”
In Texas, 25 cities and towns will join more than 150 cities hosting thousands of Make Music Day performances across the United States. The participating Texas cities are: Alpine, Buda, College Station, Dallas, Denison, Fort Worth, Frisco, Galveston, Henderson County, Houston, Laredo, Marble Falls, McKinney, Mexia, New Braunfels, Port Aransas, Salado, San Antonio, San Marcos, South Padre Island, Sugar Land, Tyler, Waco, Waxahachie, and Wimberley.
Friedman said the day gives anyone a chance to experience the joy of playing music.
“It’s a lot like Halloween, where people just know that on this day, you can dress up in some crazy way and go trick or treating, and it’s fine, everybody else is doing it too,” he said. “I think a lot of people love music and love to play music, but they know they’re not professionals. They’re very shy about it, and this is a day when you know it’s okay, you can go out and make music, and everyone else will be making music, and it’s just about sharing that joyous experience.”
In Central Texas, Buda, Wimberley, Marble Falls, San Marcos, and New Braunfels are participating this year.
Make Music Buda will feature performances at City Hall, the Buda Public Library, and venues across downtown.
In Wimberley, nearly 20 artists are expected to perform across 10 locations from 10 a.m. until late evening.
Marble Falls will see a lineup of free activities for all ages, including a community drum circle in
Johnson Park, interactive instrument play in Harmony Park, and live music performances throughout the day across town.
At Make Music San Marcos, the San Marcos Art Center, San Marcos Activity Center, and other local venues will open their stages for a variety of singer/songwriters, rock, and soulful performances.
New Braunfels is participating for the first time this year. There will be showcases across its live music scene at venues across the city, including at Gruene Hall.
Right now, Austin does not have a local chapter in the Make Music Alliance, but Matt Fox, a chapter advisor with the alliance, said organizers are working to find leadership for an Austin chapter. He said he hopes it happens soon. “I think we’re on the right track to get Austin back on the map for 2026,” Fox said via email.
Make Music Texas is presented by the Texas Music Office. A map of Make Music Day events is available online.
