Fête de la Musique Lenzen

Summer Solstice — Celebrated Globally, Localized in Lenzen

The Fête de la Musique is one of the most beautiful inventions of the international music scene: On June 21, the day of the summer solstice, musicians worldwide perform in squares, churches, street corners, and parks — free of charge and accessible to all. Initiated in France in 1982 by Jack Lang, the festival has since been established in over 120 countries. The Hanseatic town of Lenzen (Elbe) in Prignitz is also participating: On Sunday, June 21, 2026, the small town at the border of Brandenburg and Lower Saxony will transform into a soundscape stretching from Rudower See through the old town to the Elbe.

Program in St. Katharinen Church

The festive opening of the Fête de la Musique Lenzen 2026 will be at 11 AM by the Rupenhorner Kammerchor, conducted by Tobias Scheetz, in the historic St. Katharinen Church in the town center. The choir is known as a regular guest of Lenzen's church music and will offer a concert opening program. At 3 PM, a small organ concert will follow — again with Tobias Scheetz, this time on the organ of St. Katharinen. A short but artistic journey through the organ repertoire, well-suited as an afternoon program between the town's open-air performances.

From Rudower See to the Elbe

The spatial distribution of the festival — "from the lake through the town to the Elbe" — is part of the concept. Unlike a classic stage festival with a central performance area, the Fête de la Musique offers several smaller venues that are used sequentially or simultaneously. Visitors wander through the small town, perhaps hearing a string quartet on the market stairs, an acoustic duo at the harbor, or a youth band on the waterside festival meadow. The detailed program with bands and locations will be published by the Amt Lenzen in spring 2026.

Lenzen — Hanseatic Town on the Elbe

Lenzen is one of Brandenburg's smallest Hanseatic towns, located on the Elbe in the far northwest of the state, in the Prignitz district, directly on the border with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony. The town, with its approximately 2,100 inhabitants, thrives on its medieval town history, the nearby UNESCO Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve Brandenburg, and an active cultural life — supported by, among others, the town of Lenzen, the administration of Amt Lenzen, and the BUND educational center Burg Lenzen. The Fête de la Musique fits this culturally open profile — international in spirit, local in execution.

What Makes the Atmosphere Special

What characterizes the Lenzen Fête day is the mix of an internationally connoted festival format and a small-town atmosphere. Those in Lenzen on June 21, 2026, will experience not a mass event with a large stage, but a cozy, colorful town festival where all performances are within walking distance — from the church to the lake, to the market, to the Elbe, and back. Free admission to all program points, supported by the international spirit of the Fête.