Kizomba festivals

    UK Kizomba Festivals

    Discover kizomba festivals across the UK, from dedicated weekenders to urban kiz and tarraxa rooms inside larger congresses. Compare locations, dates and dance styles, and find your next weekend away.

    Upcoming kizomba festivals

    Kizomba festivals taking place over the next three months.

    All festivals

    Why attend a kizomba festival?

    1. Meet the wider kizomba community

      Kizomba scenes across the UK are small and tight on a city level, so festivals provide an amazing opportunity for the community to come together. One weekender will connect you with dancers from all over the country.

    2. Learn from kizomba specialists

      Festivals bring in the teachers who shaped and continue to push the dance. Over the course of a weekend you will learn from the finest teachers, with a true passion for the dance.

    3. Fix your connection quickly

      Kizomba lives or dies on close-embrace connection and weight transfer. Back-to-back workshops over a weekend do more for that than months of once-a-week classes.

    4. Make a weekend of it

      Most UK kizomba weekenders run Friday to Sunday with a hotel attached, so the dancing comes with a proper break away.

    5. Late, deep social floors

      Kizomba rooms tend to run latest of all. The music slides from traditional kizomba into urban kiz and tarraxa as the night goes on, and the floor rarely empties before sunrise.

    UK Latin dance festivals

    Choosing the right kizomba festival

    UK kizomba festivals can vary in style, pace and price. Here we list a few things to think about when booking:

    01

    Beginner friendliness

    Some festivals run a full beginner kizomba track and a taster before the socials, others assume you can already hold a comfortable close embrace. If it's your first weekend, look for a clearly labelled beginner level and a big social floor.

    02

    Traditional kizomba vs urban kiz

    Traditional kizomba and semba are grounded, walking-led and danced to Angolan music. Urban kiz is more linear and dramatic, danced to remixed and electronic tracks. Many festivals run both in separate rooms, but plenty lean firmly one way.

    03

    Tarraxa and douceur rooms

    Tarraxa and douceur are slower, more internal sub-styles usually programmed as late-night rooms or dedicated workshops. If they're what you came for, check the timetable rather than assuming they're included.

    04

    Kizomba-only vs multi-style

    Dedicated kizomba weekenders keep every room on-style. Multi-style congresses give kizomba one room alongside salsa and bachata, which means fewer hours but a bigger crowd to dance with.

    05

    Budget considerations

    Full weekend passes typically cost £70 – £160, plus accommodation, travel, food and drinks. Early-bird passes and party-only tickets can save you money, and lots of festivals offer room-share options to keep costs down.

    06

    Size and atmosphere

    Large congresses give you huge line-ups and hundreds of dancers to meet. Smaller kizomba weekenders feel more like a community gathering where you get to know most of the room. Depends on what you're looking for.

    More about kizomba

    What to expect

    Workshops

    Timetabled classes across levels and styles, from kizomba basics and semba footwork to urban kiz technique, musicality and body movement.

    Social dancing

    The heart of any festival - rooms running from the evening through to the early hours, usually with separate kizomba, urban kiz, bachata and salsa floors.

    Shows

    Professional and student performances showcasing choreography from teams and instructors across the UK and beyond.

    Competitions

    Amateur and pro divisions, jack & jills and team battles. Great to watch even if you're not competing.

    Bootcamps

    Longer, deeper intensives with a single instructor, usually booked separately from the main workshop pass.

    Tarraxa rooms

    Many kizomba festivals run a dedicated late-night tarraxa or douceur room with its own DJ, which is a completely different energy to the main floor.

    Beginner kizomba classes

    UK kizomba festivals: FAQs

    Are kizomba festivals suitable for beginners?

    Yes. Most UK kizomba festivals run a beginner track and many include a taster before the socials. Because kizomba scenes are small, festivals are used to welcoming people in their first year, and our Edinburgh kizomba guide is a good place to start locally.

    What's the difference between kizomba, semba and urban kiz?

    Kizomba is a smooth, grounded close-embrace dance from Angola. Semba is its faster, bouncier ancestor with more playful footwork. Urban kiz is a newer, more linear and stylised offshoot danced to remixed music. Most festivals programme all three.

    Where do tarraxa and douceur fit in?

    Tarraxa and douceur are slower, more internal sub-styles danced almost on the spot, built around isolation and weight shifts rather than travelling. We treat them as part of the kizomba family, so they appear on our kizomba listings alongside kizomba and urban kiz.

    Do I need a partner?

    No. Workshops rotate partners throughout and socials are all about asking and being asked. The overwhelming majority of people attend solo or with friends rather than with a fixed partner.

    How much do UK kizomba festivals cost?

    Full weekend passes typically run from around £70 to £160 depending on the size of the festival and how early you book. Party-only passes are usually cheaper, and accommodation is normally billed separately unless it's a hotel package. Pricing is broadly in line with UK Latin dance festivals.

    What level should I be before my first kizomba festival?

    In our view a few months of regular classes is enough — you should be comfortable in a close embrace, able to walk on time and follow or lead basic direction changes. If you're unsure where you sit, our dance level definitions explain what beginner, improver and intermediate mean in practice.