Fullerton Center celebrated the summer solstice with the eighth annual Music Day festival, which returned live for the first time in three years on June 21st. The event saw local crowds gather at the Fullerton Museum Plaza to enjoy a day of music, food and beer. , from local bands and vendors to help start the summer.
Music Day is in conjunction with the Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, which is an annual world music festival held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.
Traditionally, Day of Music has been a music festival that spans the entire city of Fullerton with more than 150 different local artists performing on the streets, local businesses and traditional venues such as the Fox Fullerton Theater. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s festival had shrunk, using the Fullerton Museum Plaza as its official venue.
The festival began with a few words from Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, who spoke about the importance of music and bringing the festival back to the city.
“Those who know a little bit about me recognize my association and the appreciation for music has been pretty direct,” Jung said. “Music brings people together, so Fullerton Music Day is extremely important to me personally. We can recognize that music is a basic human function. Very few things are more satisfying than listening to music or attending an event. “Music like Fullerton Day of Music. Music not only pleases our ears and our minds, it also feeds our souls.”
Families and locals sat outside enjoying the warm summer breeze as they embraced the return of live music, a luxury that had been absent from Fullerton for quite some time.
The festival was opened and the local anthem was performed by the local Fullardon Darden sisters, who also performed later in the evening with their band Darden. Leading the festival’s performances right after was guitarist Michael Jost, who took to the stage and played some classical Spanish flamenco guitar for the audience.
The night also featured performances by Benjamin Chadwick, Chris Anderson, Bubba and the Big Bad Blues and Greg Anista and the Lonely Streets.
The closing of the festival was Fullerton’s 1980s pop princess Stacy Q, best known for her 1986 hit “Two of Hearts,” which featured special guest Bardeux.
Although the festival was much smaller this year compared to previous incarnations, its return meant a lot to those who had been to the festival in previous years.
“Personally, Music Day means a lot to me,” said Eddie Carmona, field representative for State Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva. “I was there seven years ago on the first day, and I can tell you it will only get better from here.”
With the return of Day of Music in Fullerton showing a lot of support from the community, Carmona hopes the festival will return to its roots and spread around the city next year.
“I think it’s going to get bigger and bigger,” Carmona said. “We’re one of the only cities in the United States to celebrate Music Day with that ability, and we’re very proud of that.”
