Free Make Music Philly Festival Is All over Philadelphia This Saturday

The Make Music Philly festival hits Philadelphia and hundreds of other cities across the world this Saturday, with 235 events at a multitude of venues across the city. Make Music Philly is an egalitarian festival: All the musicians play for free, all the events are free and they take place all over the city.

Well, okay, looking at this map they mostly take place in Center City and Northwest Philly. But it does hit some far-flung—well, far-flung from downtown—locations: The Youth Latin Jazz Ensemble is playing a Northeast Treatment Center, a rap/pop duo named Epoch Failure is playing at an apartment complex near the Northeast Airport and the Bluesberry Blues Jam is playing Morris Park in Overbrook Farms.

Make Music Day began in 1982 with France’s Fête de la Musique. Events take place at 21 cities across the U.S. on the Summer Solstice on Saturday. WXPN is coordinating Philadelphia’s event.

The event kicks off Saturday at 10 a.m. at LOVE Park, where city officials and organizers will official proclaim June 21 Make Music Philly Day. Immediately after, literally any person in the city with a percussion instrument is invited to play along at a “percussion party” with the Philly Drum Project.

After a day full of events—seriously, check the map, it’s really cool and all over—everyone in the city with a harmonica should go to the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing at 6:30 for a jam session. (This isn’t a trick to get rid of all the harmonicas in Philly, don’t worry.) At 7:30 p.m., indie rocker Ted Leo will play a set, followed by R&B/soul artists Lee Fields and the Expressions.

For more info, visit Make Music Philly’s website.