PAARD , formerly known as Paard van Troje (Dutch for

Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...

), is a

venue A venue is the location at which an event takes place. It may refer to: Locations * Venue (law), the place a case is heard * Financial trading venue, a place or system where financial transactions can occur * Music venue, place used for a conce ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

founded in 1972 18 June with the support of the

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

of culture from The Hague. Currently located at the Prinsegracht. It accommodates 1,100 visitors in the main hall and 350 visitors in the small hall. Additionally, there is a café named Paardcafe with space for approximately 200 people. Since 2024, Paard has also managed GR8, a multi-purpose building with meeting rooms, a theater hall, and a record store on Prinsegracht 8.

History

The Paard van Troje began as a centre for

youth culture Youth culture refers to the societal norms of children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. An emphasis ...

. In its early years, the venue was noted for its permissive policy on use of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

which was also sold in the venue, although use of hard drugs was not allowed. The venue's programming policy focuses on 'quality pop' as opposed to mainstream acts. Therefore, it receives funding from

Music Center the Netherlands Music Center the Netherlands (MCN) is an organization that promotes and archives Dutch professional music. It aims to strengthen the position of Dutch music and music culture in the Netherlands and abroad. It organizes events and informative meet ...

as one of seven distinguished venues (called 'kernpodia') of the Netherlands (together with Paradiso,

Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a music venue and cultural center on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is housed in a former dairy and includes four music halls as well as a cinema, a restaurant and an exhibitio ...

Rotown Rotown is a music venue and a bar-restaurant in Rotterdam, Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is ...

, Tivoli,

013 013 is a music venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The venue opened in 1998 and replaced the ''Noorderligt'', the ''Bat Cave'' and the ''MuziekKantenWinkel''. 013 is the largest popular music venue in the southern Netherlands. There are two concer ...

, Doornroosje) The venue was rewarded with the Nachttempel Award in 2005. The venue has four stages, a main stage (capacity 1,100 people), a small stage (capacity 350 people), Paardcafe (capacity 200 people) and GR8 (capacity 80 people). All locations are adjacent to one another.

Performances

Numerous pop artists have performed at PAARD, both from the Netherlands and abroad. The focus was on non-commercial pop music. In 1980, U2 took the stage, followed by

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

(1982),

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

(1988),

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

(1992) and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

(1993).

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, composer and DJ active in electronic music since 1988. His idiosyncratic work has drawn on many styles, including techno, ambient music, ambi ...

(2007),

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...

(2010) and

alt-J Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury ...

(2012) have also performed at PAARD.

References

External links

*
Official site
{{Coord, 52, 04, 29, N, 4, 18, 27, E, type:landmark_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title Music venues in the Netherlands Music in The Hague Buildings and structures in The Hague