Make Music Black Hills is part of the international Fête de la Musique, taking place in 700 cities across 103 countries. The daylong musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. This year, twenty-five US cities are organizing Make Music celebrations, encompassing thousands of concerts nationwide.

The Make Music Alliance is a new, voluntary membership association made up of enthusiastic local Make Music and Fête de la Musique organizers. Its goals are to promote Make Music participation around the world, provide tools to help manage the event in each community, and foster collaboration and mutual support among its members. Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.