Welcome to another edition of the Barcelona Balboa Festival 2026, which will be held from November 5 to 8.
Barcelona Balboa Festival (BBF) is an international event organized by the BCNswing association in collaboration with Gloria Garcia, with a strong social spirit. Our main goal? To make sure you have an amazing time enjoying everything we have to offer!
🎶 Unforgettable parties – Get ready for non-stop dancing to the best live swing music! No interruptions, no competitions—just pure social dancing in a relaxed, high-energy atmosphere.
Plus, we’ve designed the schedule so you have plenty of time to explore beautiful Barcelona and soak up its amazing sights.
We also make sure there’s a great balance between leaders and followers, so everyone gets plenty of chances to dance.
BCNswing is a non-profit association, run entirely by volunteers who put their hearts into making this event accessible and high-quality.
This year, all parties will once again take place at the Casino l'Aliança del Poblenou, located in the Poblenou neighborhood of the Sant Martí district , close to Bogatell Beach .
The Casino l'Aliança del Poblenou is a stunning historical theater nestled in the heart of Barcelona's Poblenou district. It's a popular destination for diverse events, ranging from captivating concerts and theatrical productions to energetic swing parties. The theater boasts a spacious dance floor, making it an ideal haven for Balboa enthusiasts.
The wooden floor provides an excellent surface for dancers, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience. Additionally, the high-quality sound system adds to the vibrant atmosphere, creating the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable evening of Balboa dancing.
This year, for the first time, we’ll have a Thursday party with live music at ACLAM Club, a unique museum space in Barcelona’s Eixample district.
Located in the heart of the Eixample district, ACLAM Club is the chosen venue for our Thursday night party. Much more than just an event space, it is a creative ecosystem with an industrial aesthetic converted into a spectacular museum environment. In between Balboa dances, you will be able to enjoy a unique setting surrounded by an unparalleled collection of over 300 guitars —ranging from historic pieces to contemporary models— and the city's most iconic vintage motorcycles, such as classic Bultaco, Montesa, and Ossa.
A venue with impeccable acoustics and a dance floor ready for our festival's first Balboa steps. Get ready for a magical night in a setting where past and present meet through rhythm.
In this year’s edition, classes will focus on Pure Bal and social dancing, exploring the essential elements that make this dance authentic, connected, and fun. Rather than being divided by level, groups will be organized by language.
To ensure a high-quality experience for everyone, participants must have danced Balboa regularly for at least one year. Therefore, these workshops are not suitable for beginners or occasional dancers.
What to expect:
Our sessions prioritize the social dance floor, moving away from choreographed patterns to focus on honest leading and following. We aim to capture the true spirit of the culture that created Balboa, making your dance more organic and enjoyable.
Schedule & Tracks:
Each track includes a total of 4 hours of instruction (2 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday). Participants will be divided into two groups per track, and individual schedules will be sent via email before the event.
Corey and Susan Manke are Balboa and Swing dancers from Nashville, Tennessee. While Lindy Hop was their first passion, they soon discovered their true love of Balboa in 2004 fascinated with its connection, rhythms and partnering. They have spent over a decade studying the dance and are particularly drawn to the aesthetic, connection and feel of the original dancers. They strive to implement these elements into their own dance style and reference these dancers in their teaching in order to preserve the original dancers’ contribution to the dance floor. They have placed in several US competitions but they enjoy the aspect of social dancing the most.Sylvia is a founding partner of the International Lindy Hop Championships (ILHC), has taught at the University of California, and has appeared in numerous television shows and documentaries on Swing dance over the years.
She continues to judge and teach actively across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Asia. Although no longer a competitor, Sylvia has won or placed in virtually every Swing event she entered, across a wide range of Swing dance forums.
Shani hails from sunny southern California. She is best known for her fast, syncopated Balboa footwork, tight swing style and her soft connection - which has been said to feel like a ‘warm hug’. As an instructor, she strives to make dancing simple and effortless with a strong emphasis on combining foundational basics with the soft skills of connection and personal body awareness to develop one's own smooth flow and style. Shani is honored to have honed her social dance skills and footwork under the guidance of legendary dancers Willie Desatoff, Hal and Marge Takier, Bart Bartolo, Jack Carey and many others. And although she has competed, placed and won several major competitions, she mainly enjoys social dancing and inspiring others to love balboa and swing.
Gloria: Coming from various dancing backgrounds like afro-latin and solo jazz, Gloria has been teaching internationally since 2010, winning various Balboa European and US titles and contributing in the development of this dance in Barcelona and Spain. She is also a Dance Movement Therapist (DMT) specialized in movement analysis, which she uses in her revolutionary Balboa teaching methodology that she has been developing since 2015. She is mainly interested in offering classes that significantly improve the quality of students movement as well as their leader and follower partnership and also, help to develop their own style as leader, follower and couples.
Gloría García reflects on the difference between performing and social dancing in the Balboa scene:
- Performing focuses on clean lines, synchronized steps, polished technique and stage presence to impress the audience.
- Social dancing is about enjoying the music with a partner, moving naturally and relaxed, and feeling connected without the pressure of being watched.
When you bring performing in social dance spaces, it creates a "performing atmosphere" that makes dancing about being seen, driving many people to insecurity and frustration. Gloria explains the combination of the main factors that reinforce this dynamic at events: scheduling competitions in the socials and hiring teachers not particularly good at teaching for social dance. She also adds a third factor that aggravates it.
She defends that true confidence on the dance floor does not come from your level, it comes from how you feel while you're dancing. She also defends classes that focus on the original Balboa and Bal-swing basic movement dynamics, rather than choreographed steps or figures, in order to promote honest leading and following, based on natural movement and connection with the music and the partner
👉 In short: Gloria calls for prioritizing social dancing over performing and restore the essence of Balboa as a dance of connection, enjoyment, and authenticity.
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Opening the festival on Thursday at Sala Museu Aclam, Sunset Rhythm Kings will set the tone with their vibrant take on early New Orleans jazz. As the resident band of the legendary Sunset Jazz Club, they stand out for their infectious and clearly defined swing, tight ensemble playing and an authentic sound rooted in the origins of jazz—perfect to kick off a full Balboa weekend.
Dani Alonso (trombone), Oriol Vallès (trumpet), Pau Casares (clarinet), Marc Martín (piano), Albert Martínez (double bass), Joan Casares (drums)
Back in Barcelona after last year’s success, The Sentimental Gentlemen return by popular demand. They have also been one of the resident bands in the Balboa room at The Snowball, one of the world’s top swing events. Expect precise arrangements, strong rhythmic drive and tempos perfectly suited for Balboa dancers.
Yevhen Riechkalov (trumpet), Giorgio Gallina (trombone & vocals), Benjamín Rosado Mitte (piano), Daniel Cabrera (guitar), Paolo Furio Marasso (double bass & vocals)
For the third time in Barcelona, Le Dancing Pepa return as one of the standout bands on both the national and international Balboa circuit. This high-energy sextet from Valencia brings fast tempos and a powerful rhythmic feel—perfect for dancers who want to stay on the floor all night.
Joan Saldaña (sax), José Reillo (drums), Javier Pérez (double bass), Paco Soler (trombone), Fede Crespo (trumpet), Juan Caballero (guitar)
We will open registration on May 28 at 20:00 CEST.**
The places are limited, so take advantage of the moment!
For those asking about registration: we offer Couple (60%), Leader (20%), and Follower (20%) passes.
We do not offer a bi-role option. These percentages apply to both Party and Full passes.
For the first time ever, the Barcelona Balboa Festival 2026 kicks off with a Live-Music Thursday-Party — included in your pass! There are only 200 spots, reserved for Full Pass holders and the first 70 dancers who get their Party Pass. Early birds get the dance! Make sure to grab your pass quickly before these 200 spots disappear! 🎶✨
** SwingOn, Mad for Swing, Jazz Obert, TGNSwing, MojoSwing, Swing and South
Barcelona Balboa Festival is officially sold out! 💛 340 passes sold in just 7 minutes!
Please review the festival's terms and conditions.
Let’s introduce the main team for BBF 2026. If you’ve got any questions, approach us without hesitation!
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