In October 1981, Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance at the French Ministry of Culture at Jack Lang's request.

[1][2] Ever since, the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 700 cities in 120 countries, including India, Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, the United States,[3] the UK, and Japan.

[9] Thousands of free concerts are staged throughout the day, making all genres of music accessible to the public.

[citation needed] Despite there being a large tolerance by the general public about the performance of music by amateurs in public areas after the usual hours, noise restrictions still apply and can cause some establishments to be forbidden to remain open and broadcast music out of their doors without prior authorization.

This means that the prefectures in France can still forbid individuals, groups, or establishments to install any audio hardware in the street.

[14] In the United States, the Make Music Alliance was formed in 2014 to help coordinate efforts across the country.