EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Find all the details about our event below to help you plan your visit — we look forward to welcoming you.
Sat, Jun 06
|Magyar Reformed Church
Szikra Banda
Szikra Banda brings authentic Hungarian folk energy during the Hungarian Festival in the Magyar Reformed Church Courtyard.
Time & Location
Jun 06, 2026, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Magyar Reformed Church, 175 Somerset St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
About the Event
Szikra plays traditional Hungarian dance music of the Csángó people from Moldva and Gyimes in Romania. The energetic, ancient pulse of this music ignites the dancers' fervor, and inspired the band name Szikra, which means "spark" in Hungarian. Csángó dances are lively and easy to follow, and include both line and couple dances, many with syncopated rhythms.
Emese leads Szikra on the woodwind instruments, furulya (short flute) and kaval (long flute); Chris plays doromb (mouth harp); Val plucks the koboz (lute); and Joseph provides percussion on dob (drum) and ütőgardon (hit cello). Szikra often plays with other musicians, adding to the richness of the music with additional woodwind and stringed instruments, such as hegedű (fiddle) and cimbalom (hammer dulcimer).
Since its formation in 2014, Szikra performs regularly at cultural events and Hungarian dance house parties (táncház-es) in Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Michigan, New Jersey, and New York.