This year, more than ever before, the "Fête de la Musique" honours its original motto – "Faites de la musique!" (Let's make music!) – inviting participants not just to sit back and listen to music, but to take a full-on hands-on approach to sound. The 23rd edition of the "Fête de la Musique" offers a wide range of innovative projects which involve getting instrument-makers and repairers to open the doors to their workshops, while musicians give demonstrations of how lesser-known instruments work. Meanwhile, churches will be giving the public a chance to discover the secret workings of their organs (many of which are 'classified' historic objects or have been recently restored) and children will be invited to attend workshops which teach them how to make their own instruments.

The "Fête de la Musique" was originally created to encourage amateurs to take to the streets, instruments in hand. And this year the festival moves even further in that direction with 'Les Fabriques Orchestrales' (special workshops in Paris run by professional artists who have been training amateur orchestras and choirs to give public performances on Monday June 21st). Bertrand Burgalat, an innovative French musician and producer (and founder of the Tricatel label) will be working with music pupils at Jonquière Cultural Centre; French rap groups OFX and Saïan Supa Crew will be training young musicians in the art of accompanying their 'flow' and improviser extraordinaire Phil Minton (who has toured Europe with his Feral Choir) has launched an open invitation for music fans to join the mega-choir he will be conducting on June 21st. The public is also urged to give generously to another musical cause, donating vocals, musical extracts or simply 'noises' to an impromptu mix orchestrated by David Jisse and Michel Risse.

As usual, the "Fête" revolves around music from all genres and generations, celebrating everything from world and traditional sounds to pop, rock, chanson, classical music and jazz. And that's not forgetting brass bands, reggae sound systems, hip hop concerts and electro happenings. In fact, this year's programme appears to be more audaciously eclectic than ever. In Paris festival-goers will not know which way to turn, presented as they are with such a rich variety of musical treats. Should they attend the fabulous African soirée organised by French fusion maestro Frédéric Galliano in conjunction with Senegalese percussionist Ali Boulo Santo and Guinean diva Hadja Kouyaté? Or should they sample the exciting Eastern European sounds whipped up by Serbian film-maker Emir Kusturica's No Smoking Orchestra? Fans of world music are especially spoilt for choice, given that on the same evening Mangu (from the Dominican Republic), Ragunath Manet (from India) Brazilian singer Cibelle and Cuban star Raul Paz will also be performing. Concerts are also on offer from Jane Birkin, Alain Chamfort, Calogero, AS Dragon, Kaolin, Sergent Garcia and Belgian singer Ann Pierlé. Meanwhile, the Guinean group Ba Cissoko will be in concert down in Marseille and thousands of amateur bands and musicians will be performing the length and breadth of France's bars and streets.

As the 23rd "Fête de la Musique" honours digital mixing and computer-generated sounds, sets mixing DJs and VJs are the order of the soirée. And highlights are set to include performances by Les Troublemakers, Jeff Sharel and Wang Lei. Meanwhile, over at Paris's contemporary art museum, Le Palais de Tokyo, VJs will be mixing images from various "Fêtes de la Musique" as they take place in different time zones across the world. These images will be sent through cyberspace via the Internet and mix-projected live on a giant screen.

Since its creation in France in 1981, "La Fête de la Musique" has become an increasingly interna