Hajda Banda
Polish-Belarusian Party
Songlines Encounters Series
| Daria Butskaya | violin, voice |
|---|---|
| Kuba Zimończyk | three-row accordion, voice |
| Paweł Iwan | hammered dulcimer, voice |
| Mateusz Dobrowolski | frame drum, voice |
Hajda Banda / Гайда Банда is a Belarusian-Polish band specialising in traditional dances and songs from eastern Poland’s Podlasie region, the western provinces of Belarus, and the wetlands of Polesye, a cultural crossroads on the Polish-Ukrainian-Belarusian border. The group performs exclusively on acoustic village instruments, including the violin, hammered dulcimer, three-row Polish accordion, and frame drum, blending the rural music of the borderlands with their own distinct style.
The band’s sound resonates across generations. A 92-year-old resident of Dubicze Cerkiewne, a small village in Podlasie, describes their music as ‘like in the old days’ while a four-year-old from Białystok, the regional capital, calls it ‘beautiful — like a star in the sky, joyful and full of life’.
On March 8, 2025, Hajda Banda released their second album, Niepraudzivaya (False), a project crowdfunded by 152 supporters. Nominated for Folk Alliance International’s ‘Global Folk Album Of The Year’ Award, Songlines magazine’s “Top of the World” (May ’25), Lira Musikmagazin’s “Lira Gillar” (September ’25), and ranked #3rd in World Music Charts Europe (May ’25), Niepraudzivaya became one of the most widely acclaimed world music albums from Poland in 2025.
Hajda Banda’s debut album, Hajda! (Let’s go!), released on February 24, 2023, received critical acclaim and won the Songlines magazine Readers’ Album of the Year 2024 award, third prize in Polish Radio’s Folk Phonogram of the Year 2023 competition, and third place in the Wirtualne Gęśle Audience Award 2023 for the best Polish folk music album of the year.
In May 2022, Hajda Banda participated in New Tradition, Poland’s leading folk music competition organised by Polish Radio, where they won the Audience Award, 3rd prize from the jury, and the Szczecin Philharmonic Award.
The band was founded in autumn 2021 by violinist Daria Butskaya as an artistic extension of her Gaude Polonia scholarship, awarded by the National Centre for Culture. Since its formation, Hajda Banda has performed over 115 concerts across Poland and internationally.
The members of Hajda Banda have over a decade of experience performing folk music in various ensembles, including Duality, Orkiestra Taneczna Bonanza, and Kapela Ozimkowicza. The band is based in Warsaw and Kraków.
This is a mixed seated and standing event. Audience members are warmly encouraged to dance if they wish.
This event will last approximately 75 minutes, with no interval.
The curation of Songlines Encounters is supported by the 1900 Building
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, your account needs to be updated with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth and go to ‘Other Preferences’ to opt in to the Under 30s Scheme.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.