The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, took place not only in Pasadena on June 21, but also the world  over which also coincides with summer solstice.

Saturday was the hottest day of the year too, but hundreds braved the triple digit southern California inferno for some pretty cool sounds from around the globe. There was music in old Pasadena, area parks, Levitt Pavillion and many other select locations around Pasadena. The music was free to all.

One particular favorite, the Pasadena Scots, dressed in all their traditional finery, took to the stage/street at high noon on El Molino. Although slated to play a full hour the popular band played about forty minutes which was more than the anyone should have been asked under the110 degree heat. The incredible diversity and enthusiasm  of this bagpipe and drum band was echoed  by one of the tenor drummers performance, Rose Gates-Mackenzie, 13. Rose, although only playing for a couple of years now, said it was really hot but the music came first and she truly loved every minute of the performance. It should be noted, her mom and Dad ( David and Sharon) are also members of the band.

The Fête de la Musique began in France and has since spread over a hundred countries or cities : Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Israel (in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv), China, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Colombia, Venezuela... New York City held its first festival in 2007.

Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. One of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fete de la Musique organization in Paris is that all concerts must be free to the public. It's not required that musicians play for free, though many do so.