Here’s What Celebrating World Music Day In France Really Feels Like

Three years ago on this day I was in Montpellier. Known for its student population, the city had seemed pretty laidback during the day. I travelled to the city centre during the day and took in its most popular street – Place de la Comedie before continuing on to the Esplanade and visited the famous La Cathedrale Saint-Pierre with nothing to prepare me for the night that lay ahead.
You see, I was in Montpellier on June 21 – also celebrated as Fete de la Musique throughout France. Through the day I could see groups of people streaming into the city with different musical instruments but I had vastly underrated the spectacle that would unfold later on. In reality, I am not big on attending music festivals. In my journalistic career, I have had the chance to meet some of the biggest names in the industry including Beyonce, 50 Cent and America to name a few. I have never felt the need to experience music festivals the way that some audiophiles do.

On this day, I was with a bunch of friends. I had met M during my travels through Saigon and together we had toured the Cu Chi tunnels on a group tour – both of us needing each other to click pictures since we were solo travelers. That sparked a friendship that carried on when I visited her in Montpellier. Together with her boyfriend and his friend, we decided to navigate Montpellier after dark.
In the interest of safety, I was advised not to carry my big DSLR so I do not have too many pictures but what I do have are some awesome memories of how World Music Day is celebrated in France. I have been told that through much of France, except perhaps in the big cities of Paris, Lyon, Nice and Marseille, this is generally how the day is celebrated.

 
Almost every bar worth its name features a live band performance. Not just patrons but everyone is invited to sing along with the performers since the band plays outside.

 
You spend time appreciating a band by listening to two to four songs. Then, you move on to the next band – which in many cases is the band playing next door.

 
While bands sponsored by bars get the maximum crowd, I saw that independent singers and bands who had set themselves up at strategic locations often had better music. You could also tip them.

 
People ran out of cash pretty soon with all the drinking that accompanied the music. All through the night, I saw the young crowd with plastic beer glasses all over the city. So much so that by midnight even the ATM near where I was staying was out of cash!

As far as the music goes, really, anything goes. From covers of latest hits to classic French songs and even a violin quartet, there is music for every kind of audience on this night.

 
The party goes on well into the night with bands playing until 2 AM and beyond. This means a lot of drunken revelers after a point. Most of the good music though is over by 1 AM. So if you are out and about, prepare to start winding post-midnight.

 
You will probably see some things that you never thought possible – such as men peeing on the road and litter all around the block and on the road. Don’t worry, when you wake up in the morning, not a trace of previous night’s revelry will be seen on the streets.

 
One side-effect is that your local bakery and coffee shop might open later than usual so it’s a good idea to stock up on breakfast before stepping out.

 
In India, we don’t really appreciate World Music Day much. Since last year, the day has been hijacked by World Yoga Day as well. But there is a certain charm in losing yourself to music from across the world for one night with your friends for company. Not until one has been to France on this day and celebrated the night away will they truly understand the true value of Fete de la Musique.

 
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