The city of Nice Rocks the Fête de la Musique!
By: Bill Rapp @bill_rappTV
22 June, 2016
Nice, France- Thousands of revelers crowded the streets of Vieux Nice Tuesday to celebrate the longest day of the year with thumping music and drinks into the early morning hours. The annual celebration had its beginnings in Paris in 1982 and has since spread to hundreds of cities in more than 100 countries. Musicians of all skill levels have been encouraged to hit the streets and share their talents. Just about every genre of music could be found from Nice Ville to the Old Town. Music ranged from American hard rock to club music.
Street performers wrapped up at midnight, but the DJ’s kept the Riviera rocking into the early morning hours.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, thousands of visitors were in Nice for the UEFA 2016 tournament. The streets were filled with
Swedish and Belgian football supporters who were slated to play in Nice Wednesday night.
Hundreds of police patrolled the streets, following violent clashes between Russian and English soccer fans in Marseille and Lille last week. Rolling street fights broke out between rivals and dozens of fans were arrested and deported by French authorities.
France also remained under a state of emergency following the November terror attacks in Paris and weeks of sometimes violent union unrest around the country.
Despite security tensions, most visitors in Nice appeared to enjoy the music and festive atmosphere.
The Fête de la Musique was the first of several music festivals in Côte d’Azur. La Fête du Château in Vieux Nice runs 25 and 26 June followed by the Nice Jazz Festival from 16-20 July.
About The Writer
Bill Rapp is a freelance journalist living on the French Riviera with his wife and pets. Before moving to France, was a multi-media journalist for Western Mass News and CBS 3 in Springfield, MA.Bill previously worked as an associate producer, assignment editor and fill-in traffic reporter at CBS affiliate WFSB in Connecticut. Before that he was a full-time traffic reporter and producer for Metro Networks in Hartford, CT. Bill came to New England in 1990 to report for duty at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, CT. There he attended school and served as a radioman aboard USS Alexandria SSN-757. Bill has had a wealth of different work experience. After six years of honorable service in the Navy, he worked at an auto parts store, as a commercial sound/data installer, framing homes and an industrial mechanic. Then ten years ago he caught the broadcasting bug and attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He studied journalism at Manchester Community College. When Bill isn’t working, he can be found exploring Europe with his Italian wife and their dogs Cheyenne and Luna, or riding the back roads on his motorcycle.
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