4th International Gipsy Song Day – The World’s Largest One-Day Festival
August 8, 2025 – 7 Countries – 16 Locations – 50 Bands
Debrecen – Budapest – Szentendre – Százhalombatta – Hódmezővásárhely – Ravazd – Veszprém – Zánka – Nova – Oroszlány
Italy – Poland – Serbia – Spain – Slovakia – Romania
Main Organizer: International Gipsy and World Music Network
Festival Director: Mihály Rostás “Mazsi”
Supporters: MOL – New Europe Foundation, NKA – National Cultural Fund, Ministry of Interior – Directorate-General for Social Opportunities, Szerencsejáték Zrt.
On August 8, 2025 – the birthday of legendary North Macedonian singer Esma Redžepova – the International Gipsy Song Day will be held for the fourth time. This year, 16 venues across seven countries will participate, with 50 bands performing both in Hungary and abroad. The initiative was launched by Mihály Rostás “Mazsi” (founder and bandleader of Lakatos Mónika és a Romengo and MazsiMó – GipsyMó) and is organized by the International Gipsy and World Music Network.
The face of this year’s edition of the world’s largest one-day music festival is Guszti Balogh, one of the most creative and outstanding singer-songwriters of Oláh Gipsy music.
The International Gipsy Song Day celebrates diversity, featuring legendary Gipsy and non-Gipsy artists, expanding its program and locations each year with free concerts.
The festival is supported by MOL – New Europe Foundation, NKA – National Cultural Fund, the Directorate-General for Social Opportunities of the Ministry of Interior, and Szerencsejáték Zrt.
In 2025, audiences are welcomed in ten Hungarian cities and six international locations with nearly 50 performing bands.
“From flamenco to Balkan brass bands, from heartfelt Gipsy ballads to jazzy grooves – the vitality, joy, and emotional depth of Gipsy culture captivate and inspire,” say the organizers, encouraging everyone to immerse themselves in these unforgettable musical experiences and explore not only Gipsy culture but also their own cultural diversity.
A special feature of the festival is that non-Gipsy bands will incorporate Gipsy songs into their repertoires. All bands across all locations will simultaneously perform the international Gipsy anthem, “Gelem, Gelem.”
The Gipsy community is one of Europe’s most colorful and culturally rich ethnic groups, with a unique and continuously evolving musical tradition that has greatly contributed to European music history.
No other people are present in all countries of the European Union – thus, the Gipsy community is an important unifying force within Europe. Gipsy culture carries its own unmistakable identity while also reflecting the influences of the many nations it encounters.
From the elegance of Spanish flamenco to the power of Serbian brass bands, it embraces all of Europe and the world, sharing the Gipsies’ traditions, language, and boundless zest for life.
One of the most beautiful and fruitful branches of Gipsy culture has flourished for centuries in Hungary, yielding treasures such as restaurant Gipsy music, Oláh Gipsy songs and dances, and Hungarian folk string music.
Mihály Rostás “Mazsi”, the founder, artistic director, and chief organizer of the International Gipsy Song Day, has toured four continents and over 30 countries as the bandleader and manager of Romengo, with Kossuth Prize and WOMEX Lifetime Achievement Award-winning singer Mónika Lakatos.
After years of building connections with Gipsy music festivals and bands worldwide, and communicating in the Gipsy language, he founded both the International Gipsy Song Day and the International Gipsy and World Music Network, filling a long-missing gap in international music cooperation.
The central location in Hungary for the 4th International Gipsy Song Day will be Debrecen, where programs already begin on August 7.
Locations & Programs
Debrecen – Nagyerdei Water Tower
4032 Debrecen, Pallagi út 7.
19:00 Romengo & Kossuth Prize-winning Mónika Lakatos + Guest: Lajos Sárközi (Liszt Prize violinist) and Attila Kökény (performing artist)
20:00 MazsiMó‑GipsyMó + Guest artist: Balázs Szokolai‑Dongó
21:00 Bojan Krstić Orchestra (SRB)
Budapest – Benczúr House Event Center
1068 Budapest, Benczúr u. 27.
19:00 Muzsikás
20:00 Kalyi Jag
21:00 Besh o droM
Százhalombatta – Barátság Cultural Center
Szent István tér 5, 2440 Százhalombatta
19:00 Pere & Sani Luludyi
20:00 György Ferenczi & the First Pest Rackák
21:00 Fanfara Complexa
Szentendre – Courtyard of Riverside Cultural Center & Danube Promenade
Rain venue: Barlang (Dunakorzó 18)
19:00 Péter Berki & his Gipsy Orchestra
20:00 Elemér Balázs Group
21:00 Viviann (FR-HU)
Veszprém – Agora Veszprém Cultural Center
8200 Veszprém, Táborállás park 1.
19:00 Ternipe
20:00 Szilvási Gipsy Folk Band
21:00 Anima Sound System & Szilvia Bognár
Ravazd – Mediawave Courtyard
9091 Ravazd, Őrhegy u. 27.
18:00 Lásho Lecsó
19:00 Háj Ku Minye
20:00 Authentic Flamenco from Jerez de la Frontera (ES):
Vocalist Ignacio Fajardo, guitarist Manuel Monte, flutist Manuel Castañeda, dancer Fernando Galán
21:00 Kálmán Balogh & Gipsy Cimbalom Band
Hódmezővásárhely – Bessenyei Ferenc Cultural Center
Dr. Rapcsák András út 7.
19:00 Mókus & the Bend
20:00 EtnoRom
21:00 Nadara Gipsy Band (RO-FR)
Zánka – Horváth Winery
8272 Tagyonhegy, Hrsz. 601,
19:00 Söndörgő
20:00 Canarro
21:00 Kale Lulugyi
Nova – Gönczi Ferenc Cultural Home
8948 Nova, Fő u. 1
19:00 Norbert Bogdán Lanó & Kedves Zenekara
20:00 Varga Helena Band
21:00 Cimbaliband
Oroszlány – KFMKK Outdoor Stage
2840 Oroszlány, Borbála tér 1.
18:00 Dromara Acoustic Live
19:00 Botos Family
20:00 Barna Szolnoki Gyöngyök (Király family)
21:00 KAL (SRB)
International Venues
Spain – Jerez de la Frontera
Sala Quemá, Plaza Quemada 5, 11402 Spain
20:00 Amal
21:30 Romano Drom (HU)
Slovakia – Štúrovo (Párkány)
Hlavná 16, summer stage on Párkány Promenade, 943 01 Štúrovo
19:00 Chache Rom (HU)
20:30 Felvidéki Jazz Land
Romania – Sfântu Gheorghe (Sepsiszentgyörgy)
Bábel Kiskultúr, Csíki utca 21.
19:00 Dalinda (HU)
20:30 Vojake Shave (HU)
Serbia – as part of the Malom Festival
Orom, Old Mill
20:00 Luma Dui
21:30 Kanizsa Csillagai (HU)
Poland – as part of the Kotelnica Summer Festival
Środkowa 181b, 34-405 Białka Tatrzańska
17:00 Amaro Duho (HU)
19:00 Megitza
Italy – Venice
Laguna Libre Venezia, Fondamenta di Cannaregio 969, 30121 Venice
19:00 Hamid Drake & Evelin Tóth & Frankie Látó (HU-USA)
20:30 Karaván Família (HU)
Program subject to change
Side Program
August 7, 2025
Debrecen – Nagyerdei Water Tower
4032 Debrecen, Pallagi út 7.
This program highlights the diversity of Gipsy culture, featuring performances that emphasize openness and acceptance. There will be both family-friendly and adult programs, presented by both Gipsy and non‑Gipsy artists. This side event offers a taste of the August 8 main program in Debrecen, showcasing the richness of the lineup. For the first time this year, the 4th International Gipsy Song Day invites the public for two full days at the main venue.
Schedule:
From 16:00 – Face painting & glitter art for children with Anikó Rézmíves and Veronika Tarján
17:00–17:45 – The Liberation of the Moon and the Sun – a musical Gipsy fairy tale featuring Veronika Tarján, Guszti Balogh, and Kornél Mogyoró
18:00–18:45 – Szabolcs Gipsy dance lessons led by instructor Zsolt Balogh, featuring Guszti Balogh
19:00–19:45 – The Sounds of Life: poems set to music, music set to poems – featuring Dávid Csányi, Tamás Szakál, and Guszti Balogh
20:00–21:00 – Vojasa concert (urban Oláh Gipsy music) – featuring Guszti Balogh, Péter Bordás, Gusztáv Csompi Balogh, and Péter Koncsecskó