in the United States, a wild success that appeals beyond the big cities

From New York to Hawaii via Sulfur, a small town of five thousand inhabitants in Oklahoma, more than one hundred American municipalities are organizing a new edition of Make Music Day, an imported version of the Music Festival created by Jack Lang in 1982.

A great party is brewing in Fargo. On June 21, music lovers in this North Dakota town, immortalized in the film of the same name, are invited to get out their instruments for Make Music Day, the American version of the Fête de la musique. This is the first time that the event has been organized in this municipality of heartland, the rural heartland of the United States. “I think it will be a small event, but it suits us very well! » exclaims Dayna Del Val, the head of The Arts Partnership (TAP), a local artistic association which is taking part in the meeting.

Dayna readily admits it: she didn’t know about the Fête de la Musique until she was put in touch by a local trumpeter with Aaron Friedman, the American who brought the famous French festival to the United States in 2007. fell well. Laura Gariano, an employee of a financial institution in Fargo, planned to organize a musical demonstration in order to “re-create the link between the inhabitants” after the dark hours of the pandemic. The concept of the Fête de la Musique appealed to her. “It’s an event for all ages, with very formal and very informal shows. We were looking to create something open to everyone,” explains Laura.