Parno Graszt is Romany for “white horse”, where the colour represents purity and the equine animal is a symbol of freedom. The Roma folk ensemble bearing this name was founded 20 years ago, during which time its nine members have themselves gathered a wealth of musical material from the 1,300-strong village of Paszab and its surroundings in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county. Their songs are authentic and maintain the ancient and lively quality of local tradition, something that extends to the band's live performances. It matters not whether they are playing to 60 people at a village christening or a crowd of several thousand on a festival stage, the atmosphere is always one of pure bliss. Even after achieving international fame, Parno Grast has been able to retain its purity and directness. They have played in India, toured the United States for 40 days in 2009, and swept the audience off their feet in at Copenhagen's World Music Expo, the most important folk event in the international calendar. “Their concerts evoke the pálinka-infused atmosphere of the provincial bar, with carts rattling by, dresses twirling and leaves rustling in the trees,” one witness remarked. “When I first heard them play, I could not get enough. The musicians are passionate, their eyes sparkle and the hips of the female singers sway irresistibly. The jug-player plays on two jugs at once, it is impossible to tire of the oral bass sequences, the song lyrics are classics and the rhythm will get anyone on the dancefloor before long.” On this occasion, Parno Graszt will be appearing on stage with a French sharing a unique kinship. At the head of Latcho Drom is jazz guitarist Christophe Lartilleux, who grew up in a travelling circus and was driven all his life by a single dream: To revive the unique sound of Hot Club de France made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. It promises to be a unique coming together for a unique evening.

Parking information

The Müpa Budapest underground garage gates will be operated by an automatic number plate recognition system. Parking is free of charge for visitors with tickets to any of our paid performances on that given day. The detailed parking policy of Müpa Budapest is available here.