France's annual musical street party, the Fête de la Musique, will have an Olympic ring to it this year as it highlights the team spirit that unites musicians as well as athletes.
Now celebrated in some 120 countries every 21 June, Fête de la Musique – known in English as Music Day – started in France in 1982. It's an occasion for musicians – professional or amateur – to play outdoors, and for local audiences to listen for free.
This Friday, the event will get a sporting twist to tie in with the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
On the programme are several groups from the Ministry of Culture's Plan Fanfare, a marching band project that aims to involve young people in reviving local cultural heritage, particularly in rural areas.
Since its creation in 2021, the project has supported more than 900 initiatives across France.
Among them is the BatukaVI ensemble, made up of young people from the working-class Villeneuve district in Grenoble, which is one of several groups joining the party on Friday at the Palais-Royal in Paris.
The troupe specialises in batucada, a genre based on traditional Brazilian percussion and played in street parades.
They have performed throughout France and in numerous other countries including Portugal, Morocco, Burkina Faso and Brazil – even playing in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympic Games.
This summer they'll make their second Olympic appearance, performing with three other groups from Paris, Angers and Salins-les-Bains at the Games in July and August.
Olympic anthem
Elsewhere on Music Day, ensembles around France will be performing the Spirit of the Games – a festive anthem celebrating the Paris Olympics.
Commissioned by the Musical Confederation of France and composed by Thierry Deleruyelle, the piece's score has been made available for free online to encourage groups across the country to play it before and during the Games.
The Music Day poster, designed by Léopold Roux and Marie Sourd from Atelier AAAAA, also seeks to highlight the links between sport and music.
"In music as in sport, there is the collective: you have to play in a group," Roux told the press.
"There is also a sense of rhythm and several disciplines present at the Olympic Games are practiced in music: horse riding, gymnastics, synchronised swimming, breaking, et cetera.
"Music is something we experience physically, live, and that we share. Like sports!"
