Fête de la Musique de Saint-Étienne
Music takes over the streets, squares, and bars of Saint-Étienne
About Fête de la Musique
Each year around June 21st, the Fête de la Musique transforms Saint-Étienne into a huge open-air stage. Organized by the City of Saint-Étienne since 1983, this free celebration, open to all, takes over the squares, streets, terraces, and bars of the city center with about fifty concerts mixing rock, rap, jazz, electro, French chanson, world music, and reggae. From Place Jean Jaurès to Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, from Place Dorian to Parc Joseph Sanguedolce, nine stages host emerging Saint-Étienne artists and established groups. The event also includes the Sons de la Mine at Puits Couriot, an evening dedicated to urban and electronic music. With a budget of approximately 160,000 euros and over 50,000 people expected, the Fête de la Musique is one of the highlights of the Saint-Étienne summer.
The Fête de la Musique in Saint-Étienne: a city in music
Since 1983, Saint-Étienne has celebrated the Fête de la Musique with fervor around the summer solstice. A national event launched by Jack Lang in 1982, the Fête de la Musique immediately established itself in Saint-Étienne as an unmissable popular gathering. The City organizes an ambitious and eclectic program each year, transforming the city center into a vast free festival open to all.
Nine stages across the city
The Saint-Étienne Fête de la Musique unfolds across nine stages distributed throughout the city center and beyond:
- Place Jean Jaurès: emerging stage hosting young Saint-Étienne rock, reggae, and blues groups
- Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville: chanson and world music stage with brass bands, polyphonies, and French-speaking artists
- Place Dorian: jazz stage in partnership with the Gaga Jazz association and Le Solar, highlighting the jazz classes of the Conservatoire Massenet
- Place Chavanelle: stage dedicated to amateur musicians and emerging talents in contemporary music
- Parc Joseph Sanguedolce (Puits Couriot): hosts the Sons de la Mine, a flagship event for urban and electronic music with two stages (Chevalement and Guinguette)
- Temple, rue Élisée Reclus: vocal ensembles and choirs
- Cité du Design, jardin Michel-Olagnier: musical siestas and open-air shows
- Conservatoire Massenet: participatory workshops open to the public
Les Sons de la Mine: Couriot's pre-party
The festivities kick off on Friday evening with Les Sons de la Mine at Puits Couriot. This event, co-organized with four cultural structures of the territory, offers an evening of urban, electronic, dub, and hip-hop music on two stages in Parc Joseph Sanguedolce. Inaugurated by a brass and percussion parade from Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, the evening hosts a dozen artists until 2:30 AM.
An eclectic and local program
The Saint-Étienne Fête de la Musique makes it a point of honor to promote local talents: each edition features about fifteen Saint-Étienne groups alongside regional and national artists. The musical genres mixed are as varied as the city's musical landscape: rock, rap, jazz, electro, French chanson, world music, reggae, blues, batucada, polyphonies, and classical music. Musical parades in the city center complete the program with mobile electro-funk and batucada groups.
A popular and unifying event
With over 50,000 people expected each year, the Fête de la Musique is one of Saint-Étienne's most unifying events. Admission is entirely free on all stages, and STAS public transport is extended after midnight to facilitate the return of festival-goers. The event is fully in line with the City's cultural policy, which dedicates a budget of approximately 160,000 euros to this popular event.
Fête de la Musique — edition 2026
The 43rd edition of the Fête de la Musique will take over Saint-Étienne on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21, 2026. The squares, streets, terraces, and bars of the city center will host around fifty free concerts mixing rock, rap, jazz, electro, French chanson, and world music. The kick-off will be given on Friday, June 20 at 6 PM with a Brass N'Gandaïa concert on Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, followed by a musical procession to Puits Couriot for the 12th edition of Sons de la Mine, an evening of urban and electronic music until 2:30 AM. On Saturday, June 21, the official day of the Fête de la Musique, the nine Saint-Étienne stages will resonate from 3 PM with a large musical procession in the city center, then concerts in the squares until 1 AM.
43rd Edition — Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21, 2026
The Fête de la Musique returns to Saint-Étienne for its 43rd edition, on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21, 2026. This year again, the free festival extends its program over two days, faithful to the format inaugurated during the last two editions. In total, nine stages, around fifty concerts, and thirty artists highlight talents from diverse backgrounds: pop, rap, blues, electro, jazz, and world music will ignite the Ligurian city.
Friday, June 20: Kick-off and Sons de la Mine #12
The festivities will begin on Friday, June 20 at 6 PM on Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville with an opening concert by the group Brass N'Gandaïa, a brass and percussion ensemble. At the end of the concert, a musical procession will lead the public to Parc Joseph Sanguedolce, at the foot of Puits Couriot, for the launch of the 12th edition of Sons de la Mine. On the two stages set up in the park (Chevalement and Guinguette), a dozen artists will perform successively until 2:30 AM in a "two stages, zero pause" format mixing techno, rap, dub, and electro. Among the headliners already announced are The Bloody Beetroots, Tracy Desa, Enfoncé Bive, and Unexpected_error.
Saturday, June 21: The Official Day
Saturday, June 21, national day of the Fête de la Musique, the entire Saint-Étienne city center will transform into a huge open-air concert:
- 3 PM: Grand musical procession in the city center
- 5 PM: Chorale Géniale from Collège Les Champs at the Temple, rue Élisée Reclus
- 5:30 PM: "Ça fait Wizz!" show for children at the Cité du Design
- From 6 PM: Simultaneous concerts on Place Chavanelle, Dorian, Jean-Jaurès, and Hôtel-de-Ville until 1 AM
- Parc Sanguedolce: five rap and electro projects
The Stages and Their Program
- Place Jean Jaurès — Main stage dedicated to emerging Saint-Étienne artists, notably featuring Black Plant at 6:45 PM (Anglo-Saxon rock), Salut l'Orage, Les Mécanos. Five groups will perform successively until midnight.
- Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville — Chanson and world music stage
- Place Dorian — Jazz stage, with Conservatoire Massenet and the Gaga Jazz association
- Place Chavanelle — Amateur musicians and emerging talents stage
- Parc Joseph Sanguedolce (Puits Couriot) — Five rap and electro projects
- Temple, rue Élisée Reclus — Vocal ensembles and choirs
- Cité du Design — Musical siestas and shows
- Conservatoire Massenet — Participatory workshops
On Place Jean-Jaurès, a sale of CDs and sheet music will also be organized by local record stores. The complete program with detailed schedules is available on the website of the City of Saint-Étienne.
Programme Fête de la Musique 2026
Friday, June 20, 2026
- 6:00 PM — Opening Concert: Brass N'Gandaïa · Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville (brass and percussion)
- From 6:00 PM — Musical procession to Parc Joseph Sanguedolce
- From 6:00 PM to 2:30 AM — Sons de la Mine #12 · Puits Couriot (Parc Joseph Sanguedolce) — two stages (Chevalement and Guinguette) — techno, rap, dub, electro
- The Bloody Beetroots
- Tracy Desa
- Enfoncé Bive
- Unexpected_error
- And 8 other artists (full program on saint-etienne.fr)
Saturday, June 21, 2026
- 3:00 PM — Grand musical procession in the city center (departure from Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville)
- 5:00 PM — Chorale Géniale from Collège Les Champs · Temple, rue Élisée Reclus
- 5:30 PM — "Ça fait Wizz!" (musical show for children) · Cité du Design, jardin Michel-Olagnier
- 6:30 PM → midnight — Place Jean-Jaurès: 5 emerging Saint-Étienne groups
- 6:45 PM — Black Plant (rock)
- Followed by Salut l'Orage
- And notably Les Mécanos
- From 6:00 PM — Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville: French chanson and world music stage
- From 6:00 PM — Place Dorian: jazz stage with Conservatoire Massenet and the Gaga Jazz association
- From 6:00 PM — Place Chavanelle: amateur musicians and emerging talents stage
- Evening — Parc Joseph Sanguedolce: 5 rap and electro projects
Program subject to change. Full details and precise schedules on saint-etienne.fr.
Highlights Fête de la Musique 2026
- 43rd edition — free event since 1983
- Nine stages spread throughout the Saint-Étienne city center
- Around fifty concerts over 2 days
- 14 Saint-Étienne groups scheduled this year
- Sons de la Mine #12 at Puits Couriot on June 20 — techno, rap, dub, electro until 2:30 AM
- More than 50,000 spectators expected
- STAS transports extended after midnight
Prices Fête de la Musique 2026
Practical information — Fête de la Musique
Practical Information
Access and Transport
By Car: Saint-Étienne is accessible via the A72 motorway from Lyon (approx. 1h) and the RN88 from Le Puy-en-Velay (approx. 1h15). Public parking available in the city center (Hôtel de Ville parking, Dorian parking, Monthieu parking).
By Train: Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux station is served by TGV from Paris (approx. 3h) and TER from Lyon (approx. 50 min). City center stages are accessible by tram from the station.
By Tram: The STAS network serves all stages. Tram lines T1, T2, and T3 with stops near Place Jean Jaurès, Hôtel-de-Ville, Dorian, and Chavanelle. Extended services after midnight on the night of the Fête de la Musique.
Prices
Completely free admission to all stages and concerts.
Schedules
Friday: Kick-off at 6 PM with a procession from Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville. Les Sons de la Mine at Puits Couriot from 6 PM to 2:30 AM.
Saturday: Processions in the city center from 3 PM. Concerts on the stages from 5:30 PM to 1 AM. Participatory workshops at Conservatoire Massenet from 2 PM to 4:30 PM.
Sunday: Musical naps and shows in the Jardin Michel-Olagnier (Cité du Design).
Practical Tips
- Hearing protection recommended, especially for children
- Water points and refreshment stands available at the various stages
- Food available in the bars and terraces of the city center
- Outdoor event: bring clothing suitable for the weather
Contact
Mairie de Saint-Étienne
Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville — 42000 Saint-Étienne
Phone: 04 77 48 77 48
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.saint-etienne.fr
Festival-goer photos
No photo yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Vous avez repéré une erreur ou une information manquante ?
Aidez-nous à garder cette fiche à jour. Toute proposition est relue par notre équipe avant publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No review yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community
Where does it take place — Fête de la Musique
Places, rues, terrasses et bars du centre-ville de Saint-Étienne
Place Jean Jaurès, 42000 Saint-Étienne