Let freedom, music, and festivities ring at Fête PH 2026
Liberté, égalité, fraternité” (liberty, equality, fraternity) is the national motto of France, and it’s probably a driving principle behind Fête de la Musique Philippines, which launches its 32nd edition this month, with 123 events nationwide, across 34 locations in the Philippines over the coming weeks.
“For the People, By the People” is this year’s theme, and it fits the French motto as much as it applies to the idea of “People Power”—in this case, the people’s power to party, stage nationwide celebrations, and spread culture freely.
Says Alliance Française de Manille executive director Olivier Dintinger: “It’s really ‘of the people, for the people’ this year. Fête de la Musique has evolved into a true ‘community of communities,’ uniting artists and music lovers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This 32nd edition belongs entirely to the people. By keeping the festival completely free and expanding our footprint nationwide, we are celebrating not just the universal language of music, but the vibrant, community-led spirit that makes the Philippine music scene so extraordinary.”
At the Raffles Long Bar launch, Embassy of France to the Philippines cultural counsellor Mathilde Sejourne added: “What makes this festival extraordinary is not only the scale of its concerts, but also the collective efforts and passion behind them. Every pocket stage, every destination stage, every volunteer, every local government unit, every community organization, and every artist contributes to this celebration that truly belongs to the people.”
Starting with a “Music Heals” event on June 10 (offering gentle yoga, sound healing classes and a collective market at Alliance Francaise, 209 Nicanor Garcia, Bel-Air from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), things will heat up from there, with French pianist Maxime Zecchini holding two intimate performances, starting at The Writer’s Bar in Raffles Makati on June 14, followed by a recital at the Alliance Française de Manille on June 15— all celebrating the 160th birth anniversary of Eric Satie.
From there, Fête offers its popular Asia-France Music Bridge Workshops on June 19, for networking creative entrepreneurs, emerging artists, and cultural workers across Southeast Asia. French experts Gwendolenn Sharp and Leila Bellot will join local industry leaders in Manila to discuss intellectual property and creative growth.
All of this heads into the key highlight of the month-long festivities: the FêtePH2026 Main Stage, set to take over the Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City on Saturday, June 20.
Alongside the vibrant Makati Street Meet and Makati City Fiesta, the Main Stage offers a stellar lineup of OPM favorites and breakthrough acts. Headliners include the chart-topping pop-rock outfit Lola Amour; the return of legendary jazz-rock and spoken-word collective Radioactive Sago Project; the powerhouse hip-hop group Morobeats; and the Jewelmer Jazz Band. (More surprise acts and announcements to come from organizers in the coming weeks.)
Expect a wide lineup of French and global acts as well for the June 20–21 weekend celebrations, featuring French “krautrock” trio Meule as part of their Asian tour; alongside French-Vietnamese harpist Héloïse La Harpe. Foodies and culture enthusiasts can also look forward to the Taste of France French Market, which will line Paseo de Roxas from June 20 to 21, offering an authentic selection of French gastronomic specialties, wine, and artisanal goods.
Pocket stages, destination stages
On Friday, June 26, music will spill into the streets of Makati with the fan-favorite Pocket Stages, offering deeply localized, genre-specific gigs in various intimate venues. The party then goes nationwide from June 20 to 28, with 23 NCR Stages and 66 stages across 33 Destination Stages —all activating simultaneously across the provinces of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, bringing the unique Fête experience to thousands of music fans outside Metro Manila. (You think it’s hard to catch simultaneous acts at Coachella or Summer Sonic? That’s nothing compared to the sprawl of stages at FêtePH!)
Closing out the month-long musical marathon on June 29, the acclaimed Manila-based jazz duo Project Yazz—composed of vocalist Faye Yupano and bassist Bergan Nuñez—takes the stage at the Long Bar in Raffles Makati to perform their signature jazz reinterpretations of Original Pilipino Music (OPM).
As Alliance Française de Manille cultural manager Noe Fuentes announced, this is probably the most sprawling, grassroots party yet. “This is really a people-powered festival. Technically, it’s not Fête without all the people involved, and I also feel like it’s French-born, but it’s Filipino DNA, so that’s very important.” So not just Main Stage attractions, but “Destination Stages” will erupt all across the nation, from northern Cagayan to Koronadal in the south. And it’s been growing with every edition. (The latest addition: Camiguin Island.)
Dintinger adds that FêtePH is “really an opportunity for music fans to see the type of music they enjoy, but at the same time in different venues, to be able to experiment, enjoy different genres they didn’t have the opportunity to listen to before.”
So let freedom ring. Full artist lineups, specific pocket stage locations, and the complete nationwide schedule will be unveiled soon on Fête de la Musique Philippines’ official social media channels. (@fetedelamusiqueph)
FêtePH2026 is presented by Alliance Française de Manille in partnership with the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Funkybeat Entertainment. The event is also brought to you by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Ayala Land, The City Government of Makati, Taste of France, Cork Wine and Spirits, Tequila Inc, Luxcell, Down& Co., The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Institut Français, OCEA, Alliance Française de Cebu, Raffles Hotel, official hotel partner, TV5 Monde, official international media partner, Billboard Philippines, official music media partner, Barangay Poblacion Makati, Able Asia, Hows, Aruga Collective, Jewelmer, Department of Trade and Industry and CITEM.
