Paul Sullivan chats to the local organisers of the famous Fête de la Musique event…

FdM Mauernpark (Photo by Dirk Mathesius)

On June 21st, Berliners will once again celebrate the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer with a city-wide music festival, the Fete de la Musique. With performances on over 80 open-air stages, the street festival offers everything from reggae and jazz, to hip hop, electronic music and klezmer. Some of the city’s larger venues, like the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and the Volksbühne, will host events, as will nightclubs, beach bars, parks and smaller cafes. A day of music hopping at FdM is not only a great way to hear new music, it’s also an excellent way to explore the city…

When did the Berlin version of FdM begin and who started it?

It started  in 1995 when Simone Hofmann convinced the Senate Chancellery of Cultural Affairs to celebrate FdM in Berlin as a European Feast of Music.

What is the general “philosophy” of the event?

Fête de la Musique was founded in France in 1982 with the idea of showing in public how many people are able to sing or play an instrument. It is an invitation to experience live music in all of its diversity, to generously share music with others and in return to pay attention to the musicians and respect their effort. There are no restrictions in terms of style, genre, professional or amateur. All musicians perform without payment and admission is free.

How do bands or artists get to play or apply? Do they have to live in Berlin or come from Berlin?

They don’t necessarily have to live in or come from Berlin. Applications for Fête de la Musique are accepted all year round until the 8th of March. The music department of FdM then screens all applications and if requested gives recommendations to stage promoters setting up their program. Many of the stages have already a complete line-up, so for this reason many bands cannot be placed. We had more than 400 applications from musicians this year, among them 25 acts with or for children. More than 100 bands could be placed on stages this year and we assisted to more than 1/3 of the stages with advice for their program.

Which countries will be represented this year (2010)?

Musicians or bands from 21 countries – Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Senegal, Sweden, Turkey, US.

What have been the man highlights in recent editions of the festival?

The very popular German band Element of Crime played last year after 4 years of stage abstinence.

How many acts are playing this year (2010)?

About 600 acts, all together approximately 4.000 musicians

What makes Berlin a great city to host the FdM?

There’s incredible diversity, it’s multi-national and quite liberal. Berlin is also a green city, lots of parks and recreational areas suitable for street music and open air festivals.

The festival also caters for kids, right?

Via a press release in February we asked children to apply and we encourage also applications from schools and kindergardens. The idea is to let children experience music in a relaxed and playful atmosphere, not to enforce any kind of high performance. Hot spots for kids this year are (amongst others) the Joan Miró elementary school in Charlottenburg, Kuchenkaiser and Circus Cabuwazi in Kreuzberg, Fette Musik stage in Prenzlauer Berg and Antje Öklesund in Friedrichshain.

FdM Berlin Mitte (Photo by Kai Bienert)

There’s a big classical element also, can you elaborate?

This year we have some attractive classical acts by the Academy of Art who will be performing on two stages, plus a Bach organ concerto at Luisenkirche, a brass band performing at Humboldthain and more than 15 choruses, ranging from classical to folk.

Where can people find a program?

The program flyer is available throughout the city at various hot spots and also online at www.fetedelamusique.de

What advice would you give anyone attending?

Bring your friends – Don’t bring your car!

In what ways does FdM Berlin support music in the city?

All the musicians, singers, ensembles or bands that did not get a place in the stage program, are invited to a day of street music on the 21st of June from 4pm to 10pm. But this event is strictly acoustic. The Fête Company will take over the GEMA licensing for this day. The invitation is displayed on the website and is announced via press releases and social media. The permission form for acoustic music performance in public spaces can be downloaded from the website.

About The Author

Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based writer & travel photographer and the founder of Slow Travel Berlin. You can check out his personal website here and some of his photography galleries here.

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