Festival Dansons sur les Quais

Festival Dansons sur les Quais, Bordeaux's great summer dance event

Created in 2004 by the Dansons sur les Quais association, the festival has established itself as one of Bordeaux's essential summer events. For nearly three weeks in July and early August, the banks of the Garonne transform into a huge open-air dance floor, accessible to all for free.

A giant dance floor opposite the Quinconces

The heart of the festival is Placette de Munich, Quai Louis XVIII, where a large wooden dance floor is set up every summer especially for the occasion. Opposite the Esplanade des Quinconces, on the right bank of the Garonne, the spot welcomes hundreds of dancers every evening.

All dances for all audiences

The festival has the particularity of covering a very wide range of styles: couple dances (rock, salsa, bachata, kizomba, Argentine tango, west coast swing, country), solo dances (hip-hop, urban dances, oriental dance, tribal, classical, modern jazz, traditional dances), with a different theme each evening. Free introductions precede each big dance evening.

A free and unifying event

Access to introductions, dance evenings, and activities is generally free. Local dance schools and associations are at the heart of the initiative and co-host the evenings, making Dansons sur les Quais a showcase for the Bordeaux and Nouvelle-Aquitaine dance scene.

A 'guinguette' atmosphere on the banks of the Garonne

Beyond dance, the site offers a shaded 'guinguette'-style area, refreshment stands, food trucks, and light refreshments (waffles, canelés…), as well as a cloakroom for the evenings. The setting, between the Garonne and the 18th-century facade of the Bordeaux quays, largely contributes to the event's identity and popular success.