Festival and Travel Planner 2025

Same as sound quality, floor started night nicely and then got worse over time, till there were puddles.
I throw the challenge flag at this as I was there for Saturday morning to Monday Morning. Saturday morning, the floor was very sticky but the hotel must have been given some feedback as they switched on the air conditioning for Sunday morning and Monday morning. I did not see any puddles. Lots of talcum powder, though, on all 3 nights.
 
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I agree at feeling kinda held hostage, I think that's why spaces like the debate in Berlin are great, because we don't all agree and we shouldn't all agree. But at the moment, there is very little space for anyone who isn't happy with the status quo to speak out. If you do you're just 'not supportive of the scene'.
Regrettably, us humans seem to generally evolve to lose the ability to productively and respectfully talk to our peers who hold opinions different from our own, as proven by current world events. But we want to keep it lighthearted here, so back to b...ing (ugh, self-sensoring :facepalm: ) about salsa! :cool:
But yes, you're definitely not alone, and as in so many other instances, talking one-on-one to people will often reveal their true opinions which are very much opposite to what they seem from social media or pack behavior.
 
Last year AC at salsarave was no problem at all, it felt even cold when sitting, but there were much less people. A crowded room can overwhelm an AC. At this hotel there are lots of bachata festivals as well, and in the net you can find reviews where people say they nearly lost consciousness because of missing air and heat.
 
Btw that's what I like about this forum: reviews give good information about the pros and cons, and I can get a feeling if it would fit my personal bill next time.

When I ask acquaintances in real life it normally goes like this:

"So how was it in Rovinj?"
"Yeah, good."
"Well... was something different to last year?"
"No."
"Hm... so you would go again?"
"Yes."

I don't get valuable information this way. It maybe was great for her but maybe wouldn't fit my bill.
 
I thought Salsarave was amazing. I got to hang out with Frankie, a lot of my buddies from London, New York and also Smejmoon! I will definitely recommend it to my friends in the USA. If you like Afrocuban dance music aka ‘salsa’ it’s the place to be. My only sadness was that they weren’t enough leads to go around.
 
Btw that's what I like about this forum: reviews give good information about the pros and cons, and I can get a feeling if it would fit my personal bill next time.

When I ask acquaintances in real life it normally goes like this:

"So how was it in Rovinj?"
"Yeah, good."
"Well... was something different to last year?"
"No."
"Hm... so you would go again?"
"Yes."

I don't get valuable information this way. It maybe was great for her but maybe wouldn't fit my bill.

It’s pretty remarkable how we all attend the same event and have a wide range of opinions and experiences which is amazing. I can see how people enjoyed salsa rave last year with less people.

Reflecting a bit more on the event:
I found the level to be somewhat low in the back half of the room where it wasn’t as hot. Music was very hit or miss for me during the night party. I think they had too many cooks in the kitchen with swapping DJs every few songs. Sweet spot was 6am - 7:30am when I had my best dances. Having 3-4 videographers on the dance floor was distracting and the nonstop photography was a bit crazy too.

I really enjoyed some of the vinyl. I appreciate that they made an effort to play some unknown and interesting songs. Event organization was great and overall fun vibe.

Day socials had the best music. I thought the indoor social on Saturday was fantastic and then went downhill when we moved to the pool.
 
I thought Salsarave was amazing. I got to hang out with Frankie, a lot of my buddies from London, New York and also Smejmoon! I will definitely recommend it to my friends in the USA. If you like Afrocuban dance music aka ‘salsa’ it’s the place to be. My only sadness was that they weren’t enough leads to go around.
You started traveling again ? :)
 
It’s pretty remarkable how we all attend the same event and have a wide range of opinions and experiences which is amazing. I can see how people enjoyed salsa rave last year with less people.
It's one reason I love this place & am not so keen on everything going to Instagram. Here we talk, people will feedback in detail. I feel I get much more rounded opinion here than ♥️♥️
And when these events cost A LOT honestly it sometimes is the little things like knowing the water situation or if venues are spread out, what kinda music the DJs play etc. This stuff is useful.
Maybe we should start out own salsa trip advisor
 
It’s pretty remarkable how we all attend the same event and have a wide range of opinions and experiences which is amazing. I can see how people enjoyed salsa rave last year with less people.

Reflecting a bit more on the event:
I found the level to be somewhat low in the back half of the room where it wasn’t as hot. Music was very hit or miss for me during the night party. I think they had too many cooks in the kitchen with swapping DJs every few songs. Sweet spot was 6am - 7:30am when I had my best dances. Having 3-4 videographers on the dance floor was distracting and the nonstop photography was a bit crazy too.

I really enjoyed some of the vinyl. I appreciate that they made an effort to play some unknown and interesting songs. Event organization was great and overall fun vibe.

Day socials had the best music. I thought the indoor social on Saturday was fantastic and then went downhill when we moved to the pool.
When in doubt follow Super Mario.
He always dances near the entrance because it is cooler there. But all the wannabees go near the djs deep in the room. I prefer to dance with worse dancers without dehydrating.
 
Let me ignite y'all's passion for this water topic even more: they actually charged €5.50 per bottle, but there was a €2 deposit (Pfand) on the empty bottle. The ladies working the bar were suuuuper friendly but not exactly very actively forthcoming with this information. Now guess how many foreigners did not bring back their bottles to claim their €2 (Germans are used to this practice)? Again, I do not think this was a deliberate measure on part of the location but the incentives were somewhat misaligned for the personnel.
I am so angry at this and I wasn't even at the event lol
 
It’s pretty remarkable how we all attend the same event and have a wide range of opinions and experiences which is amazing. I can see how people enjoyed salsa rave last year with less people.

Reflecting a bit more on the event:
I found the level to be somewhat low in the back half of the room where it wasn’t as hot. Music was very hit or miss for me during the night party. I think they had too many cooks in the kitchen with swapping DJs every few songs. Sweet spot was 6am - 7:30am when I had my best dances. Having 3-4 videographers on the dance floor was distracting and the nonstop photography was a bit crazy too.

I really enjoyed some of the vinyl. I appreciate that they made an effort to play some unknown and interesting songs. Event organization was great and overall fun vibe.

Day socials had the best music. I thought the indoor social on Saturday was fantastic and then went downhill when we moved to the pool.
I think that’s a fair assessment of what went on. I don’t think you’re ever going to have a 100% smooth event. Trying to satisfy 800 plus who attended is verging on the impossible. From my perspective I wish we had an event like this in the states! I danced with all levels, a Chinese lady who demanded I dance on1 and a German lady who demanded on2! Then there was one Romantica track we heard 3 times in a row and Friday social music was just okay. I gave it an amazing based on the level of connection and having fun that punters had. In closing we should have a discussion about what constitutes high level and low level! Is it turn patterns? Musicality? Connection? Another thing that blew me away was the amount of Timba that was played and how people reacted to it. Get a clue US DJs! Also full disclosure most of the organizers are friends
 
It's one reason I love this place & am not so keen on everything going to Instagram. Here we talk, people will feedback in detail. I feel I get much more rounded opinion here than ♥️♥️
And when these events cost A LOT honestly it sometimes is the little things like knowing the water situation or if venues are spread out, what kinda music the DJs play etc. This stuff is useful.
Maybe we should start out own salsa trip advisor
For a brief time some of us from salsaforums would coordinate to attend same festivals.

The feedback from the forum members helped me select festivals when I was actively attending them for a few years.
 
It's one reason I love this place & am not so keen on everything going to Instagram. Here we talk, people will feedback in detail. I feel I get much more rounded opinion here than ♥️♥️
And when these events cost A LOT honestly it sometimes is the little things like knowing the water situation or if venues are spread out, what kinda music the DJs play etc. This stuff is useful.
Maybe we should start out own salsa trip advisor
There's definitely a particular sort of magic to these pre-social-media internet pockets where people genuinely interact and get to know each other based on actual conversations. Apart from just really useful information, I have found some very dear friends through this and some other similar platforms. FB and IG only ever increased the number of people I kinda know but not really and now always stress about not recognizing in real life.
 
However at the last SF SBK, there were too many friends recording on the crowded dance floor. Especially when dancing with a celebrity. All those “friends” by occupying dancers’ space were making it more difficult on already packed floor.

Yeah we all sign disclaimers that there is videography going on.

For some, video recording has become a way for them to become/stay relevant in the scene and grow their social media. The bar to entry is very low and they don't need any skills or special training. They don't need any special equipment since we all walk around with cameras.

Also, the Youtube guy tends to record the same people so I guess others feel compelled to record since there is typically one or 2 guys in the middle of the social dance crowd taking up space so they can record anyway. People video recording their friends tend to be way less intrusive.

I agree about SF. One of the things that turned me off was trying to dance and a big sun lamp suddenly on me or in the space where I was dancing and/or a person taking up space on an already crowded dance floor so they can record someone that is already being recorded by others. In SF, it felt like even amateur recorders felt like their need to record was as important or more important than that of the attendees that paid to dance.
 
Not just standard practice - it's a legal requirement for licensed places (i.e. those allowed to sell alcohol) in England, Wales and Scotland to offer tap water.
I heard SalsaRave didn't provide any drinking water either. But at least they didn't confiscate drinks you brought in yourself like they do at Berlin.
 
Personally, I find being recorded while dancing a flattering experience. And if I happen to be in the background of a video, I'll be zooming in on myself trying to spot my mistakes

My best experiences have been when someone is recording us social dancing without us knowing. I say this because it doesn't alter the dance experience or take away. I've even found sometimes that the follow will tense up or start trying to show boat a bit when knowingly being recorded so I enjoy a much more natural dance with the recording out of the way.
 
That would be a good start. I think I might like specific 'filming hours' even more :)

it's rather about the changed dynamics of the dance, about people oftentimes not dancing with each other as much as with the camera, the perceived necessity to dance ever flashier, even some 'aggressiveness' sometimes.

Also the cliquishness this phenomenon produces: you'll notice there're always certain pairings being filmed of a technically rather small group of regular congress goers.

Agree with these points. Funny, I mentioned to someone recently that there should be a separate space where people can dance that want to be video recorded.

When you are reviewing an event before going and you see that they've hired Steve the youtube guy, you already know what the deal will be in terms of the in crowd. I think Iron Mambo is also following suit. Maybe this was why someone stole Steve's equipment in Paris?
 
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