We went to Atlanta, GA this weekend for Casineros Timba Fest. It was a jam packed weekend, and we truly felt like we were there for more than 36 hours. In today’s blog post we discuss what the event was, what we partook in, and our overall experience/takeaways. Be sure to check out our clip of the weekend.
What was included?
Both of us had purchased a full pass. Each full pass included the following:
- Workshops started at 10am with 3 workshop times before lunch. There were 2 workshop options AND a 3rd exclusive workshop which was an additional cost. After lunch another workshop time with 2 options to choose from.
- Lunch and Dinner plates
- Pool Party
- Competition and performance viewing. With 2 rooms: Timba/Casino/Salsa and Bachata/Kizomba.
- Transportation to and from Sunday brunch
- Sunday brunch workshop.
- Sunday brunch social with a drink ticket, performances, and 2 hours of Timba and Casino run by a DJ.
Which classes did we take?
Alexa
- Saturday
- 10am Lady Styling w/ Clara Nieto
- 11am Rumba w/ Aramis Pazos
- 12pm Advanced Rueda de Casino w/ Steven Messina
- 2pm Afro-Cuban w/ Jonathan Burke
- Sunday
- 12pm Timbaton w/ William Sanchez
Andrea
- 10am Lady Styling w/ Clara Nieto
- 11am Timba Challenge 1 w/ Mari Martinez
- 12pm Advanced Rueda de Casino w/ Steven Messina
- 2pm Afro-Cuban w/ Jonathan Burke
Our Favorite Part?
Andrea: Her favorite part was dancing and sharing time with Casineros that she had never met before. She has traveled to a lot of places, and typically the draw of weekenders is meeting up with people she knows, but this time there were a lot of amazing dancers she hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting and dancing with till 4am.
Alexa: Her favorite part was the Sunday Brunch. The Timbaton class was super fun and a great challenge targeting things she wants to improve on. The vibes at the brunch were perfect people danced, but the brunch was great to chat and relax. Enjoying the 2 performances as well was nice.
Overall Takeaway
While neither of us participated in the Competition, it was clear to us that this was the cornerstone of the event intended to bring people in. Here in the USA, we don’t see competitions related to Casino, but this event aimed to fill that void. It is not uncommon to see these types of competitions throughout Central and South American Casino hotspots. For its second consecutive year, the event is still figuring out how to draw people into the competition.
We had so much fun though, we partied as much as possible. In general we felt like the organizers prioritized giving attendees a space to party with CASINO and TIMBA which was really needed for us. The music was spot on at both socials, and we were so grateful for that.
Did you go to Atlanta for Casineros Timba Fest? Let us know in the comments what your favorite part was. Just so you don’t miss out on places to travel, be sure to check out our travel page with a list of upcoming weekenders and festivals!
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