(Above) A scene of children singing and dancing at Place d'Italie. (Below) A young rock band performing with great passion. On June 21, the whole world goes wild, and every corner of the globe resounds with enchanting musical melodies and beautiful singing. In a joyous and celebratory music carnival filled with singing and dancing, all kinds of music and beautiful songs ring out in harmony. The music festival can be said to be the largest festival in today's globalization.

This popular music festival was a product of the French Socialist Party's era in power, initiated by the then Minister of Culture Jack Lang (in 1982). Its foremost purpose was to liberate middle-class culture, letting music step out of confined spaces to be shared with the public, and to create a new social ideal of a popular carnival culture, sowing all kinds of musical seeds to make music universal and integrated into everyday life. Today, this most populist music festival has spread to 130 countries and over 400 cities worldwide, all holding grand celebrations on this day. Under the universal culture of peace, music has become the most direct channel for emotional communication between people, and the magnificent colors of musical melodies promote social harmony and the integration of ethnic groups.

The French music festival now has a 25-year history. On June 21, the summer day with pleasant weather, abundant sunshine, and long days with short nights, there are a total of 18,000 free concerts across all of France, mostly concentrated in major metropolitan areas—especially every district and street corner of Paris (even in the metro and in prisons). The grander concerts featuring well-known singers are held in large squares (such as Place de la Bastille, Place de la Nation, and the square of the White Church in Montmartre), while large-scale classical performances take place in gardens or parks (such as the Luxembourg Gardens and the Palais-Royal Gardens). Whether it is large orchestras (such as the Orchestre de Paris or the Orchestre Radio-France), chamber ensembles, young bands, small groups, or even solo performers—all imaginable music makes an appearance. Classical music, modern music, jazz, French chanson, electronic music or rock, suburban rap music—everything is available. From professional to amateur musicians, in concerts suitable for all ages, as long as one finds music matching one's own taste and style, one can spend a wonderful and thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Of course, among these musical tastes and styles, the beautiful rhythms of classical music often attract a large audience of older age groups, while the elegant melodies of jazz draw a relatively balanced mix of middle-aged and younger audiences. As for young people, they favor the screaming rock music or the intense electronic music, and the even younger generation prefers suburban rap music. Many young audience members dance along to the music, creating an incomparably lively atmosphere that makes all of Paris rock and go wild deep into the night, spending a wonderful evening. Only under the starry night does silence slowly swallow the city, accompanying the night owls of Paris into dreamland.