Bota Gatherings VIII

Bota Swing City Weekend

Bota Gatherings VIII feature image

Intimate dance weekend - Porto as a dance meeting point for the community in the western 🇵🇹 - Twice a year - Night Parties in a vintage venue - 2 Bands - Musicality masterclasses w/ Mariel Gastiarena - Sunny street dancing by the river - Farewell After-party in a cozy space - Taster Class - Chilled vibe - Community celebration weekend!

ℹ️ About

Intimate dance weekend right in the city center of Porto. We celebrate community and live music, creating a great connection with the band and a vibrant welcoming atmosphere! Created by our local school Bota Swing, making sure you have some time to party, to chill and to enjoy the city, all with peachy prices.

This is the plan for this Pocket Edition:
🔸 2h Solo Jazz & Lindy Hop musicality masterclass + Surprise theme class with Mariel Gastiarena (intermediate & advanced)
🔸 2 night parties with live music & DJ sets
🔸 2 live bands: Mariel’s quartet Swing City House Band & local band Shuffle Collective
🔸 Street dancing in the sun & a farewell social after-party with DJ set
🔸 Everything happening in cool places right in the heart of Porto

We explore a dynamic atmosphere, adding some of the blues universe to the electrifying bouncy swing vibe. For all types of dancing, all types of people! Community meeting point in the western Europe

📅 Dates & Registration

📍 What & Where

💃 Dance Styles

  • Lindy Hop
  • Solo Jazz
  • Balboa
  • Shag
  • Blues
  • Authentic Jazz

🎉 Activities & Highlights

  • Workshops
  • Social Dancing
  • Live Music
  • Parties
  • Outdoor Activities
  • Tasters

The classes are intentionally connected and complementary, allowing a deep exploration of dance. Musicality, connection, expressiveness, and body awareness are all taken into account.

Our home is a wood vintage venue in the center of Porto, with natural light during the day and with carefully crafted twinkling lighting and warm colors at night. Incredible acoustics, high ceilings, and a balcony overlooking the dance floor.

The band’s stage is low, allowing direct interaction between the musicians and the dancers — every edition has had unique and memorable highlights!

Besides the swing jazz and blues music, the DJs put special care into the final songs, turning the dance floor into a big, high-energy party, full of jumps and excitement, helping us use up the last of our energy.

Porto is a beautiful city, especially in spring, with wonderful spots to dance overlooking the Douro River.

🧑‍🏫 Teachers & Artists

Mariel Gastiarena, Andreia Tavares, João Gil

Mariel Gastiarena from Buenos Aires
Andreia Tavares from Porto
João Gil from Porto

🎷 Live Music / DJs

Swing City House Band from Buenos Aires
Shuffle Collective From Porto

✨ Festival Vibe

A small festival with 130 people that plays with rhythm and party energy, moving from frenetic to smooth Swing Jazz, and then to energetic Blues music and slower blues tempos. In all parties and socials, rhythmic journeys are created by feeding off and respecting the energy of the dancefloor, allowing participants to explore different dance styles!

And since it’s our school organizing it, all the students see themselves as hosts, welcoming visitors in the best possible way. It has a party vibe, with a strong focus on connecting with the musicians, the music, and musicality, making it easy to meet people and form new friendships. A weekend rooted in the local community, welcoming visitors and celebrating the international community!

❤️ Why You Should Come

If you’re looking for a community-driven festival where it’s easy to make friends, with complementary, deep, and memorable classes, and where you can easily meet the bands and connect with them through dance, this is the perfect weekend for you.

Porto becomes a dance meeting point for the western community, always with peachy prices — and the more people join, the more Gatherings we create!

🧾 Quick Overview

  • 📅 Dates: May 8 – 10, 2026
  • 📍 Location: Porto, Portugal
  • 💃 Styles:
    • Lindy Hop
    • Solo Jazz
    • Balboa
    • Shag
    • Blues
    • Authentic Jazz
  • 🎟️ Passes:
    • Full Pass
    • Party Pass
  • 🏕️ Type:
    • Exchange
    • Weekend
  • 🎉 Activities:
    • Workshops
    • Social Dancing
    • Live Music
    • Parties
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Tasters