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Fete de la Musique is a French music festival that for 17 years has kick-started Lebanon’s long, hot summer of music. Beirut was the first foreign city to adopt this event, which was launched in France on June 21, 1982, by former Culture Minister Jack Lang. This music festival, organized and coordinated by the French Institute, sets up stages and concerts in the parks and squares of the city.
“For the French Institute and embassy in Lebanon, this is indeed the highlight of our yearly cultural program,” Veronique Aulagnon, the director of the French Institute, told Al-Monitor. “It is one of the events where we are really on the first line. It goes way above our usual work as a support of culture in the country.”
Unlike most of the summer festivals, Fete de la Musique is free of charge. This makes it appealing to young people and large families. For many struggling musicians, Fete de la Musique provides their first audience.
“It is first a very strong symbol in a region touched by war and terrorism,” Aulagnon said. “Lebanese people have adopted it completely and the music festival is now rooted in their life. New activities and new venues join in every year. This year, some 15 cities participated and tens of thousands of people came to this event. It shows again how Lebanon is important in the region in terms of its cultural capital.”
Born out of the impulse of former President Camille Chamoun in 1956, the Baalbek International Festival, the oldest in the country, takes its name from its location, an ancient Phoenician city with a beautiful old Roman temple. The festival showcases theater, dance, music and other performances with famous artists such as Angelique Kidjo, who will perform on July 16, and Ibrahim Maalouf, who performs on July 22.
Read more: Lebanon’s summer music festivals range from chic to psytrance
And another article on Lebanese psytrance.
The Story Behind Lebanon’s Psytrance Movement
And from 2013
“For the French Institute and embassy in Lebanon, this is indeed the highlight of our yearly cultural program,” Veronique Aulagnon, the director of the French Institute, told Al-Monitor. “It is one of the events where we are really on the first line. It goes way above our usual work as a support of culture in the country.”
Unlike most of the summer festivals, Fete de la Musique is free of charge. This makes it appealing to young people and large families. For many struggling musicians, Fete de la Musique provides their first audience.
“It is first a very strong symbol in a region touched by war and terrorism,” Aulagnon said. “Lebanese people have adopted it completely and the music festival is now rooted in their life. New activities and new venues join in every year. This year, some 15 cities participated and tens of thousands of people came to this event. It shows again how Lebanon is important in the region in terms of its cultural capital.”
Born out of the impulse of former President Camille Chamoun in 1956, the Baalbek International Festival, the oldest in the country, takes its name from its location, an ancient Phoenician city with a beautiful old Roman temple. The festival showcases theater, dance, music and other performances with famous artists such as Angelique Kidjo, who will perform on July 16, and Ibrahim Maalouf, who performs on July 22.
Read more: Lebanon’s summer music festivals range from chic to psytrance
And another article on Lebanese psytrance.
The Story Behind Lebanon’s Psytrance Movement
And from 2013
