Fête de la Musique in Paris with Kids: How to Do Music Day Right

This is Paris on June 21st. Every street becomes a party and nobody goes home.

Start early and bring the kids back by 6 p.m.

This is the most important piece of advice I can give families. The daytime hours are made for children. Music starts early, the crowds are manageable, local neighborhoods put up posters for small community events and kid-friendly performances, and the energy is festive without being overwhelming. Check the playgrounds near wherever you're staying—small local events spring up everywhere, and they're often the most charming part of the day.

By 6 p.m., the streets and metro start to fill up significantly. That's when we sent the kids back to the hotel with a babysitter, and the adults had the night to themselves.

Every corner, every courtyard, every cobblestone street—someone is performing. This is Fête de la Musique.

Best spots for kids during the day

• La Villette is the ideal family anchor for Fête de la Musique. This large park in the 19th arrondissement has wide lawns for picnicking, early afternoon concerts, and interactive workshops for younger audiences. Plenty of space for kids to run between sets without getting lost in a crowd.

• Place des Vosges (Marais, 4th) is a beautiful enclosed square where kids can sit safely on the grass and listen to acoustic sets, local choirs, and small ensembles. The enclosed space makes it easy to keep track of children while you actually enjoy the music.

• Square des Batignolles (17th) has a village feel—quieter, local community bands, away from the intensity of the bigger areas. A lovely option if you want something genuinely neighborhood-level.

• Musée Guimet—K-Pop Edition (16th): This was a genuine highlight. With Korea as the museum's focus this season, Guimet turned their Fête celebration into a full K-Pop experience: dance workshops, a history of K-Pop talk, live performances, makeup classes, karaoke, and a closing set from the Chinabot label. The kids were obsessed. Bring a fan—they told us to, and they were right.

• Swedish Institute (3rd): Midsummer and Fête de la Musique fall on the same day, and the Swedish Institute celebrates both. Traditional dances and songs around a large flower-covered maypole, followed by contemporary music concerts. Unexpectedly magical and far less crowded than the main tourist areas.

• Hôtel de la Marine (8th): A participatory choir during Fête de la Musique—yes, you sing. Kids and adults both. One of those spontaneous, joyful experiences you don't plan and end up talking about for months.

• Museum of Relief Maps (7th): A quieter, more intimate option for families who want music without the crowds.

Where to eat: Two restaurants I'd go back to tomorrow

I live in New York. If I wanted a $400 tasting menu in a formal dining room, I could get one at home. When I travel, I want great food without the performance. Both of these deliver exactly that—and both put you in the perfect position to walk straight into the night after dinner.

Hestia (5th Arrondissement)

The four of us had dinner here after the kids went back to the hotel, and the location turned out to be perfect. Walking there, we could already hear music coming from every direction—different genres layering over each other as we moved through the streets. By the time we finished dinner around 10 p.m., the Quartier Latin was fully alive.

Hestia is in the Michelin Guide and exactly the kind of restaurant I gravitate toward in Paris. Fine dining in a cozy, intimate space—but not stuffy. I knew that after dinner I'd want to walk around and dance, so I dressed comfortably, and nothing about Hestia made me feel out of place for it. The waitstaff was lively and personable. Step outside after, and you're immediately in the middle of everything.

Chef's À Table (11th Arrondissement)

Creative, contemporary French cuisine that's beautifully plated and built around fresh, seasonal produce. The flavor combinations are playful and surprising—peas with coffee foam is the kind of thing that sounds like a risk and turns out to be exactly right. The setting is intimate and understated, completely free of the stuffiness that can make traditional starred dining feel like more of an obligation than a pleasure. It's a Michelin-level tasting menu without the exorbitant price tag, the formal dress code, or the white tablecloths. Get the wine pairing—it was perfect. And when you walk out the door in the 11th on June 21, you step straight into the street party.

The five key areas for the evening

Once the kids were settled, we spread out across the city. The five neighborhoods that deliver consistently.

• Place de la République: Massive energy, huge crowds, every genre

• Quartier Latin: Where we were after Hestia; dense, electric, very walkable

• Quais de Seine: Beautiful along the river, slightly more relaxed than the squares

• Bastille: Loud and celebratory, great street-level music

• Montmartre: More intimate, winding streets, extraordinary atmosphere after dark

We walked until 2 a.m. There was music on every corner, in every doorway, spilling out of every café. It is genuinely unlike anything else I've experienced in any city. Worth noting: the metro runs all night on June 21—Lines 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 14 stay open through the morning, so there's no rush to get back before last service.

The top of the Eiffel Tower—worth every minute of the wait. Spring for the elevator tickets (your legs will thank you), bring water, a fan, and a mister, and pack your patience. It can take a while to get to the top, but the view makes it all worth it.

For adults who want something more curated

If wandering isn't your preference, Paris also offers some extraordinary options.

• Symphonic Concert Beneath the Louvre Pyramid: The Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Klaus Mäkelä, performed under the pyramid at 10 p.m. If you can get tickets, this is one of the great Fête experiences in the city.

• Sunset Sunside (60 Rue des Lombards, 1st): A jazz club tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday, starting at 7 p.m. For jazz lovers, this is the evening.

• Cité de l'Économie / École Normale de Musique de Paris: Free, intimate, reservation required. A completely different register from the street celebrations—quiet, serious music in a beautiful setting.

• Jazz & World Music at Jardin du Palais-Royal: A lovely open-air option for those who want atmosphere without the intensity of the main squares.

Getting around: The Navigo Fête Pass

The metro, RER, and Noctilien run all night on Fête de la Musique. A special unlimited travel pass is available for approximately €4.30, valid from June 21 at 5 p.m. through June 22 at 7 a.m. Get it before you head out—it covers everything and removes any stress about getting home at 2 a.m.

Note: Concorde and the Champs-Élysées are closed to vehicles, and security checks are stepped up across the city. Plan your routes in advance and default to public transportation over taxis or rideshares.

What to bring: Mini fan (essential—it's June in Paris), misting spray, and comfortable shoes. You will walk for hours.

Meet the real MVPs of our Paris trip. A mini umbrella, a personal mister, and a rechargeable fan—the trio that carried us through the June heatwave. Pack accordingly.

Beyond Fête: What to do with kids for the rest of the trip

We combined Fête with a full six-day Paris itinerary. These were the standout kids' experiences.

• Ludo Jardin in Luxembourg Garden (6th): The renovated playground in the heart of the Luxembourg Garden is gated, organized by age group, and genuinely excellent. Zipline, climbing ropes, giant domino, mini tree-climbing course, swings, and slides. Kids play like Parisians. Adults sit in the garden and drink coffee. Everyone wins.

• Louvre Scavenger Hunt: Transforms what can feel like an overwhelming museum into a genuine adventure for kids. Highly recommended for ages 7 and up—our kids were engaged the entire time and came out actually knowing things about the art.

• Custom handbag workshop: For older kids and teenagers—make a handbag using premium Chanel deadstock fabrics, choosing your own embellishments, chains, brooches, and buttons. A Paris souvenir they actually made themselves. Memorable and genuinely cool.

And, of course, the Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay, Versailles, and Giverny—all of which hit differently when you're seeing them through kids' eyes for the first time.

The Musée d'Orsay is a great museum for kids—it's housed in a beautiful old train station, manageable in under two hours, and when you're done you walk straight to the Luxembourg Gardens. Perfect half-day.

The honest summary

We had been to Paris as adults many times. Returning with children and building the trip around Fête de la Musique completely changed the experience. The city on June 21 is generous, joyful, and accessible in a way it isn't any other time of year. Music is everywhere, it's free, and it genuinely works for families—as long as you respect the 6 p.m. rule, front-load the day with kid-friendly programming, and let the adults have the night.

Plan your next Paris trip around June 21. You won't regret it.

• Book everything early: Late June in Paris is one of the busiest times of the year. Fête de la Musique on June 21st overlaps with Pride and Men's Fashion Week (June 23–28) — the city is buzzing, hotels fill up fast, and restaurant reservations go quickly. Hestia and Chef's À Table both require advance booking. Don't leave anything to the week before.

• The date never changes: Fête de la Musique is always June 21st, the summer solstice. Plan your trip around it and you'll never miss it.

• It's hot: June 21st is the longest day of the year and Paris in late June is warm, sunny, and muggy. The unsung heroes of our trip: a personal mister, a rechargeable fan, and a mini umbrella. Pack all three. You will thank yourself.

• Register in advance for curated events: Free doesn't mean walk-up. The Louvre Pyramid concert, Hôtel de la Marine choir, and Cité de l'Économie all require reservations. Check the official Fête de la Musique Paris program (released in early June) and grab spots as soon as they open.

• Security checks: Expect bag checks at major venues and around Place de la République. Budget a few extra minutes.

• Noise: If you're staying anywhere near the Quartier Latin, Bastille, or Montmartre—bring earplugs for the kids. The music goes until well after midnight, and hotel walls are thinner than you'd hope.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Paris page.