Silvio Barros, mayor of Maringá, receiving the Music-Friendly City title from ANAFIMA
How Maringá became a
Music-Friendly City.
Maringá (PR) mobilized its entire municipal school network, occupied the city's central public space and received official recognition from ANAFIMA. This is a model any city can replicate.
centers in 2025
engaged (2022 and 2024)
"Music-Friendly City"
The challenge
Maringá wanted to build a cultural program at real scale — something that would reach schools, APAEs, theaters and the streets of the city all at once. Without a large budget, without new infrastructure. Just coordination and political will.
Make Music Day provided the institutional framework: a globally recognized date, ready-to-use materials, and the legitimacy of a movement present in more than 2,000 cities around the world. Maringá's Municipal Department of Education took over coordination and turned participation into public policy.
How they did it
Four moves that turned a date into municipal cultural policy.
The Department of Education mapped the network
The Municipal Department of Education mobilized every unit in the network — schools, early-childhood centers (CMEIs) and specialized facilities such as APAEs. Each principal received an official notice and was instructed to organize a musical activity on June 21st.
Each school defined its own activity
No single format was imposed. Each school chose what made sense in its own context: a student concert, an instrument workshop, a choir performance, a music circle, or simply an outdoor music-education class. The result was authentic diversity.
A public stage at the Terminal Urbano
To extend participation beyond schools, the City Hall set up an open stage next to the Terminal Urbano — the busiest spot in the city. The celebration reached the entire community, not just the school environment.
ANAFIMA granted the official title
Based on a documented history of consistent participation — schools, public spaces, theaters and active engagement from city government — ANAFIMA awarded Maringá the official "Music-Friendly City" title in 2025. A public recognition of the city's commitment to culture and music education.
Maringá by the numbers
centers in 2025
engaged (2022 and 2024)
took part as well
Urbano — heart of the city
Sources: Maringá City Hall — maringa.pr.gov.br | 2022, 2024 and 2025 editions
"Make Music Day is coming, a global movement. Maringá has already stood out in Brazil as the city with the most participants. We want to stay at that level: children from the municipal network and many other people taking part in this special event."
— Silvio Barros, Mayor of Maringá (PR)"Music-Friendly City"
The "Music-Friendly City" title is awarded by ANAFIMA to cities that demonstrate consistent institutional engagement with Make Music Day. It goes beyond a one-off event: it recognizes governments that embed music as a public-policy tool — in education, in culture and in the use of urban spaces.
Maringá was the first city to receive the title, in 2025. Your city can be next.
Official sources
All the information in this case study comes from official publications by Maringá City Hall.
Your city can follow
the same path.
Maringá's model is replicable. Free, low operational complexity and with high returns for the city's image and cultural life. In 2026, June 21st falls on a Sunday — schools and companies can celebrate on Friday June 19th or on any day of the week.