‘Special and peaceful and fun’: Fête de la Musique returning to Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach will give in to instrumental inundation on Saturday, as the coastal community is set to take part in a worldwide celebration known as Fête de la Musique.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the opening ceremony scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. at the cobblestones at Main Beach. The Laguna Community Jazz Band will kick off the event at 11 a.m.

After the ceremony, the performances at Main Beach will also include the acoustic duo “Perfect Blend,” from 1:20 to 3:30 p.m., followed by belly dancers “JJ and the Habibis.” Local guitarist Ken Garcia will take the stage at 4:30 p.m.

The 17th annual Fête de la Musique, which celebrates music and unity, is being presented by Laguna Beach Sister Cities.

“It all happens at Main Beach, and it’s in coordination with what happens globally to 1,000 cities in 100 countries all over the world, all joining together to make music special and peaceful and fun,” Karyn Philippsen, founding president of Laguna Beach Sister Cities, said at the City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Accompanied in council chambers by Bill Atkins, a graphic designer for the group, Philippsen reminded the public that Laguna Beach’s sister cities are Menton, France; San José del Cabo, Mexico and St. Ives in Cornwall, England. Atkins held up a poster with images of each city to those in attendance.

Philippsen added the sister cities were chosen with similarities in mind, including coastal location, environmental message, and population, as well as community offerings such as a college, a museum, and a playhouse.

“They’ve been our sister city relationships for a very long time, and the Fête was our first signature event in honor and it’s on every single year,” Philippsen added. “Even with COVID, when nobody was doing anything, we did an online streaming version to make sure we had the talent and everybody there to do what we needed to do.

“It obviously wasn’t as big, but it was an honorable attempt to still have fun and make joy out of everything.”

Dozens of musicians will deliver live performances at 32 locations in and around the downtown area, including at various art galleries and eateries. There will be 14 live performances throughout Forest Avenue, 10 musical acts along South Coast Highway, and eight more in action on Ocean Avenue.