SANTA MONICA—On Sunday, June 21, the city of Santa Monica, along with the greater Los Angeles area, will be participating in the worldwide Make Music Day with free musical performances by local artists at parks around the city.
The event began in France in 1892 when the Ministry of Culture dreamed of a day of free music on every street corner where all would be invited to watch and play. They called it Fête De La Musique and decided to host the event on the summer solstice. The festivities are celebrated in over 800 cities across the world. Eight years ago, the festival came to New York City then spread all over North America, with events at 932 locations in 2014. This year is Santa Monica’s fourth year participating.
Organized events will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at eight locations–Palisades Park at Inspiration Point and at the Rose Garden, Hotchkiss Park, Reed Park, Douglas Park, Colorado Center Park, Virginia Avenue Park, and Santa Monica Place.
A variety of genres will be represented including hip-hop, jazz, indie-rock, pop-rock, and world. One of the festivals youngest performers is Jaq Mackenzie, a 16-year-old “American Idol” contestant from Los Angeles. She will be playing at Santa Monica Place from 11-11:30 a.m. and at Douglas Park from 5-5:30 p.m.
All are invited to participate in the event—professionals, students, and amateurs. For a full list of details for the program including performers, locations, and times, go to makemusicla.org and search venues.
