About PAARD

Society has a soundtrack. The accessible, connecting, and empowering effect of pop and nightlife culture on society is unique and indispensable. That is why we facilitate, curate, and produce live music in the lives of our visitors with great care and passion.

Pop is not a music genre but a snapshot of the present. It cuts across ages, musical tastes, population groups, gender, political preferences, educational levels, and backgrounds. This is reflected in PAARD's agenda: in a single day, you can find a young punk band from The Hague in the Café, spoken word in GR8, a groundbreaking DJ in the Foyer, a queer dance night in the Kleine Zaal, a world-famous Turkish pop artist in the Grolsch Zaal, and we end the night with a club night hosted by Mama Africa. Intrinsically diverse and versatile. A schedule that shows more than just start and end times; it shows the spirit of the times.

A curatorial role naturally comes with a guiding role. We provide direction with a challenging (or more challenging) program, new music trends, exciting club nights, and an urgent discussion program. This is how we attract new (young) audiences to PAARD. At PAARD, they can get dizzy for the first time, whether from dancing, drinking, or happiness, but at PAARD, you can also discover who you are, who you want to be, or what your role could be on our stage, in our city, or in society.

At PAARD, we guard the fire that burns—not on its own—in the The Hague music scene. Whether we are the lighter, the pilot light, or the fuel will differ per artist, (sub)genre, or objective. At PAARD, you should give your first real performance, organize your first club night, and be able to put on your biggest show ever. Then we will wave you off with love when our venues become too small (and our doors will always remain open to you).

We also look back with pride. Because when you think of the early 70s, you hear protest music, in the early 80s you hear punk, and in the 90s you hear hip hop. All of them formed the soundtrack of social change. For five decades, PAARD has been at the heart of The Hague's pop culture. That's why at PAARD you not only see the latest artists, but also the drivers of (musical) change from the past.

Society has a soundtrack. At PAARD, we believe that we—as the pop venue in the city of Peace and Justice, just a few hundred meters from the Binnenhof—have a crucial role to play in shaping that soundtrack.