Fête de la Musique 2025: How to make the most of Germany's all-night music party

Local Germany

3 days ago

Fête de la Musique, held every year on June 21st, began in France but is increasingly popular in other countries, including Germany. This year, it falls on a Saturday, so festivities should be doubly raucous.
Here's a look at what you need to know about this massive street party and how you can make the most of it.
What is Fête de la Musique?
Fête de la Musique was first held in France in 1982. In France, the evening features tens of thousands of musicians of all stripes playing in the street, from jazz quartets to underground DJs. The idea has caught on internationally, though usually on a smaller scale.
It always takes place on the summer solstice, meaning there is plenty of sunlight to continue enjoying the performances as the evening goes on.
Events usually begin in the afternoon, lasting well into the early hours. Performances are often free.
Despite seeming to be very French, the idea for Fête de la musique came from an American - Joel Cohen - in the 1970s.
He was at the time working for French national radio and he had the idea of spending a whole day - the longest day of the year - celebrating music.
What's on this year
In Germany, more than 140 towns and cities across the country will hold events.
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Fête de la Musique is most popular in Berlin, which was the first German city to hold the event in 1995, but other cities including Hannover, Munich and Stuttgart will also host festivities.
A full list of events can be found on the
Fête de la Musique Germany website
.
Breakdance and hip-hop artists perform on the stage at the Brandenburg Gate as part of the Fête de la Musique in 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache
Here is a selection of a few events to look out for around the country:
Berlin
Pankow is this year's partner borough, so expect especially joyous festivities in the northern neighbourhood. Over 40 venues will take part this year, including French Night at the Kesselhaus to the Evangelisches Gemeindehaus in Alt-Buch.
Friedrichshain disco band
Tango Bravo
will play at 7:30pm in the Bärenzwinger in Mitte. The four-man band won the SPH Music Masters, Europe's largest live music competition, this year, so expect a packed-out venue.
Classical music fans can head to Kulturforum Berlin at 7pm to see the
Berlin Philharmonic
play works by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, completely free.
You can find the complete Berlin Fête Programme
here
.
Hannover
At the Hohes Ufer, Bazzookas from the Netherlands return for the sixth time with skapunk performances atop their yellow school bus, playing sets throughout the evening.
The Ballhof stage promises eclectic and experimental sounds. The Pariser KunstKollektiv curates an adventurous program ranging from soulful pop and artsy electro to experimental funk and drum & bass.
For a more relaxed setting, the singer-songwriter stage outside Fairkaufhaus on Limburgstraße 1 will host acoustic sets from artists including Nora Lotz and Frederik Tietz from 3pm to 8pm.
More events in Hannover are found
here
.
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Hamburg
From 2pm, Altona train station will host live performances by the Knut Richter Duo, classic French songs with Rendez-Vous Chansons Swing, and the Balkan-inspired Strandgut Plus band.
The Institut français will host Kumulo, a young German-French band with jazzy undertones, from 6:30pm. Later, THORD1S will play 80s-inspired pop, layered with deep bass, live vocals, and saxophone.
More events can be found
here
.
Rostock
Over 20 stages will host diverse acts around Rostock on the Baltic coast.
At Circus Fantasia, rock takes centre stage with bands including In Ora Mundi, Morpheme, and Richtungswexel.
Klostergarten, meanwhile, will lean into the heavy side of music with melodic death metal, modern metalcore, and progressive noise acts.
Other highlights include the eclectic Am Brink stage featuring funk, indie, and jazz and punk rock at Haedge Halbinsel.
See
this website
for more details.
Munich
A small event will be held at the
Institut Français de Munich
from 5pm, featuring the Munich Franco-German choir, a jazz band, and an afro-house DJ set by DJ Linola.
READ ALSO:
How to make the most of Germany's long summer days