Abu Dhabi: Emirati and Indian music will enrich World Music Day (Fête de la Musique) this year in the UAE — an annual music festival of the French community to be held in more than 100 countries across the globe.

It is the fourth consecutive year the Alliance Française (French Alliance), a global French cultural organisation, is organising the festival in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on June 20 and 21 respectively.

The international festival is a blend of all kinds of music from salsa and classical to rock, and Indian to French.

“It has been open to all kinds of music. But it is first time Emirati and Indian singers from the UAE are joining the festival, along with around 20 musicians and singers from different cultures,” the organisers told Gulf News on Thursday.

Last year, apart from various Oriental and Western music genres, a UAE-based Filipino family’s performance of Filipino music was a major attraction in Abu Dhabi. “We expect the same for debut performances of Emirati and Indian singers this year,” Nayla Samaha Khalife, Communication Manager at Alliance Française Abu Dhabi, said.

An Arab national and a group of Indians based in Abu Dhabi will perform Emirati and Indian music respectively.

“It is a free popular fête, open to any participant — amateur or professional musicians — who wants to perform. They were selected by June 1,” Nayla said. “This event allows the expression of all styles of music in a cheerful atmosphere. It aims at a large audience, working to popularise musical practice for young and not so young people from all social backgrounds. It gives an opportunity to communicate and share a very special moment through music,” she explained.

On June 20, the event will take place from 5.30pm to 11pm at the World Trade Centre Mall in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Al Dar. It will also take place at Souq Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on June 21, from 7pm to 10pm.

The French community in the UAE along with music lovers from other communities actively participate in the festival every year. There are an estimated 400,000 French-speaking people from 77 countries living in the UAE.

The organisers — Alliance Française — is the largest linguistic and cultural multinational non-governmental organisation in the world with a mission to open up the borders of French language and culture, with respect for the diversity of local cultures. It has 1,000 offices across the world.

Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for culture, the Fête de la Musique is held in more than 100 countries every year on June 21, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

The musicians are asked to perform for free, and all the concerts are free for the public. So the events are organised in open air areas such as streets and parks or in public buildings like museums or train stations across the world. It encourages major music institutions (orchestras, operas and choirs) to perform outside their usual locations.