Cuban Festival comes to Rotorua

The New Zealand Cuban Festival is heading to Rotorua next year. Photo/Supplied.

Rotorua is set for one massive Cuban dance party next year - and everyone's invited.

The New Zealand Cuban Festival - the biggest community-based Cuban dance and music event in New Zealand - will move to Rotorua next year with a week-long free community programme planned ahead of the festival.

New Zealand Cuban Festival Trust chairman Petera Hudson said the growth of the festival over the past four years was part of the reason to relocate from Wanganui to Rotorua.

It will attract dance instructors and dancers from around the world and New Zealand who all came together to share the sounds, rhythms and dances of the Afro-Cuban beat with New Zealanders who loved Cuban dance.

Mr Hudson said there was a real focus on looking at Maori Cuban fusion and said the two cultures shared a lot of common beliefs.

For the first time next year the three-day weekend festival was being extended to include a week-long community based festival week with free public demonstrations, classes and performances run at iconic Rotorua sites including the City Focus, the Arts Village, the Night Market and Eat Street.

He said the trust's aim was to grow Cuban dance and culture and to showcase that through the annual festival.

Mr Hudson said they expected up to 220 people to attend the festival with most coming from around New Zealand as well as a group from Australia and New Caledonia.

The New Zealand Cuban Festival Community Week will run from Monday, February 24, through to Sunday, March 2.