France's all-night music fest grows and grows

Paris - A million musicians take to the streets of France Thursday for the country's annual all-night midsummer music fest, an event catching on worldwide with New York the latest of 400 cities to join in.

In New York, the Metropolitan Opera and the city's Philharmonic are among 4,000 professional musicians offering 1,200 free classical, rock, salsa or soul concerts from Manhattan to Brooklyn for the first edition of "Make Music New York."

In France, which launched the event back in 1982, some 10 million music buffs are expected to turn out for 18,000 organised or improvised concerts -- some by amateur teen bands, others by groups such as Tokio Hotel, Mika or The Dead 60s.

With Paris set to stay up till morning, the subway is running through the night, and museums and other heritage sites being kept open for concerts such as Beethoven's 5th, conducted by Kurt Masur in the Orsay museum, or Berlioz at the Senate.

Apart from New York, Amsterdam, Albion (USA), Winnipeg (Canada) and Rivoli (Italy) are among cities joining the party now held in 130 countries.

In Syria, the palaces of Damascus are opening their doors to traditional musicians while DJs are setting up along the shores of Lake Geneva.

Agence France Presse