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Where to dance
Cities
8 cities · ranked by activity
New Zealand's capital and host city of the New Zealand Salsa Congress, held each late May at Te Whaea National Dance & Drama Centre.
Alpine thermal village in Canterbury. Hosts the boutique Hanmer Salsa Festival every August — workshops, social dancing, and access to the thermal pools.
South Island's largest city, rebuilt post-2011 earthquake. Salsa Latina Academy is the scene's anchor — fortnightly Salsa Sábado at Casa Publica on Armagh St, Friday Salsa Night Fever at Engineers Bar, and the annual Hanmer Salsa Winter Festival up at Hanmer Springs.
Otago's coastal university city. Dança Latina Dunedin (3 Stafford St) runs Friday parties at Fable Dunedin on Princes St — salsa, bachata, kizomba and Brazilian zouk — with after-parties back at the studio two blocks away.
New Zealand's largest city. Viva Dance in Grey Lynn is the scene's anchor venue — Sunday socials run all year and host the annual Zouk Central festival each May.
Waikato's largest city, an hour and a half south of Auckland. Hamilton Salsa NZ runs the Wednesday social at Puu Toi on London Street, with Tuesday and Thursday class blocks at St James Hamilton East covering Cuban salsa, linear salsa, bachata and zouk fundamentals.
Queenstown's Latin calendar opens with the Pasión Salsa Queenstown Festival — the South Island's first directory-listed salsa weekender, set against the Lake Wakatipu adventure-town backdrop. New Zealand's weekly Latin scene lives in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch; Queenstown is the destination-festival entry.
Tauranga hosts the Bay Salsa Festival over New Zealand's Labour Weekend — the Bay of Plenty's annual salsa + bachata anchor. Outside the festival the city's weekly Latin scene runs through local studios; the festival is the marquee moment.
Worth the trip
Upcoming festivals
2 festivals · chronological
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