Kathmandu celebrates Music Day

our manasalu blog 

Five pm in Thamel chowk, and one could hear the sound of rock music emanating from somewhere in the area. Upon walking further up, one discovered that it came from Mandala Street, now equipped with a stage at one end, to host the various live bands lined up to play to the gathered crowds, backed by a massive pink banner that read ‘Fetê de la Musique’.

The Alliance Francaise in Kathmandu has been organising country-wide events almost every year on International Music Day on June 21, and the proceedings were particularly elaborate this year, with free concerts held at various venues around the Valley—House of Music, the Reggae Bar, and the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory, among others—as well as in selected places in Pokhara and Dharan.

As usual, the festival kicked off with a requisite concert at the AF premises in Tripureshwor, featuring, this time, live performances by school bands. The crowd was substantial here, and other places too saw a full house during the day, with festivities running late into the evening.

The Fetê de la Musique began in France on June 21, 1982, and is now held all around the world.