I've just seen a flyer for the First Annual Baltimore Washington Herdeljezi (Roma/Gypsy) Festival. It's billed as a "Roma (Gypsy) Culture Intensive, the first of its kind on the East Coast". There will be dance classes, instrumental music classes and an evening dance party with two bands. The music is from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Transylvania, Hungary, Rjashan and Czech Republic.

One of the evening bands is the Balkanics, which I have enjoyed hearing in a number of different venues around Washington DC. They are a "wedding" band that plays regularly at the Wonderland Ballroom on the last Wednesday of each month, and it's impossible not to listen to them with a tremendous grin on your face for two hours. (having beers while listening/dancing to their music does not hurt either)

The festival will be from 10 AM - 10 PM on Saturday April 21st in Bethesda/Rockville MD, at St Marks Church, where they have been having the IMT concerts. There's a charge to register for individual workshops/concerts or all day. The website for the festival is 1st Annual Herdeljezi Festival.

--Linda