Since 1982, the "Fête de la musique" (Fiesta of music) has been taking place every year in France. This is not surprising since it is fun, free and exciting. Basically anyone that can play music is invited to do so, for free, any place they wish. The participants will range from amateur to professional or even major celebrities. Every style of music is welcome and will be heard. Musicians will perform everywhere: cafes, street corners, public buildings and more. Generally they are invited to play in open space. In other words, on this day you might hear on street corners highly acclaimed musicians who usually perform at the opera. The event's original motto was "sharing, diversity and creativity". Today, this event still hold true to it.
Taking place on June 21st (the day of the summer solstice: the longest day of the year) makes the perfect day to get out in the streets and simply walk around for hours. For example, if you are in the Paris neighborhood, "Quatier Latin", simply grab one of those "geek sandwiches" as your lunch or dinner and stroll around the area from Notre-Dame to ile Saint-Louis and you will see dozens of performances of all styles in a very festive atmosphere. If you have more time visit more neighborhoods and appreciate more music. This very special event makes everyone feel something unique is taking place and most people around you will smile, be friendly and appreciate this slice of life spent with total strangers.
During the 2000 edition, 800,000 musicians performed while 10 million spectators watched them(that's every 1 in 5 French people!). Tens of thousands of performances will take place that night in France. Not all will be indexed or "advertised". However larger concerts or famous bands will usually have their performances "registered", so fans can actually plan to see them. The official web site of the "Fête de la Musique" will list some of these events. If you are more organized or simply have more time, you can actually check the official schedules to try to plan your evening of exploration.
Today the "Fête de la Musique" in its 25ème édition, has spread to over 110 other countries and 250 cities. If you're not in France on June 21st, chances are you can still get a bit of the feel if something is being organized in your city. If you are on the web, the following site will have live events (photos and live music) as the "Fête de la Musique" takes place around the world: http://www.21juin2006.net/