Bad weather slightly dampened the 40th annual Fête de la musique Monday evening, but people still came out in droves across France to listen to music and be in crowds for the first time since Covid curfews were lifted on Sunday. Police dispersed crowds defying bans on groups of more than ten people.
In Rennes, Nantes and Tours, concerts were cancelled because of the rain, but in Brest, in the north, drizzle did not scare spectators who came out to listen to bands set up in cafes and restaurants.
The midsummer music festival, held every year on 21 June, was subdued this year, coming out of a pandemic year that saw lockdowns, limits on gatherings and curfews.
Bars and restaurants were allowed to host small concerts, but the usual impromptu street performances were banned, with bans on crowds of more than ten people. But many defied the ban and played anyway.
Police dispersed large crowds gathered in front of Paris city hall and in the Tuilleries gardens.
In Nantes, a peaceful march in honour of Steve Maia Caniço who fell into the Loire and drowned when police intervened during a Fête de la musique celebration in 2019, turned into a party that had to be dispersed by police using tear gas.
Eight young people were detained in Annecy after a gathering of middle- and high-schoolers got out of hand, and partiers clashed with police.
Some official acts imposed social distancing rules. The Roland-Garros tennis stadium outside Paris hosted about 40 acts, including Patrick Bruel, Vianney and Kendji Girac, performing to 4,000 seated and masked spectators.
President Emmanuel Macron opened the presidential palace courtyard to visitors, with a show headlining electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre and 1970s disco king Cerrone.
Attendees were asked to remain seated and respect social distancing rules.
Macron presented the Legion of Honour to both musicians, and Jarre dedicated his to "the whole electronic music family, the DJs... the technicians who have really suffered during the pandemic."
