Festival of the Fanfare

At the beginning of every summer, the 21st of June, France celebrates the Solstice with La Fete de la musique -- a music festival. Every town and village prepares some special musical events, and groups of musicians wander the streets, or play on street corners.

But here in Monpellier a few weeks before the Solstice we had a different kind of musical event, a celebration of the brass band (and just when you thought it was safe to go back to the park!). This is La fete de la fanfare (this last pronounced with three syllables, Fan-Fah-Rah).

But words don't do it justice. Here's a sample of what we saw at the second day of the festival, which included brass bands from all over France, and even some other countries in Europe....

Fete de la Fanfare, Montpellier

The event was organized so bands played alternately on opposite sides of the square, minimizing downtime. It also meant we only got to see half the bands. But one of the bands on the far side deserves special mention. They call themselves Pink it Black, and their bio states that they are a commando unit, ready to go at a moments notice wherever a brass band is needed.

Pink it Black at Fanfare, Montpellier, 6 June

The crowds keep getting bigger, the level of alcohol consumed kept increasing, and, frankly, however much fun it is, there's only so much brass music we can absorb. So we made our way to the nearby tram and headed home!