CURRENT
Bay Area Dance Week 2026 has returned for 10-days to celebrate dance and community from April 24 to May 3 at locations across San Francisco, the East Bay, North Bay, and South Bay. Last year’s Festival drew 21,000 attendees across 161 events, highlighting the region’s vibrant dance scene. This year dance week festival promises an equally dynamic lineup of workshops, performances, open rehearsals, and classes—all free and open to the public. Whether it’s hip hop, salsa, Bhangra, aerial, folk, modern, Bollywood, ballet, pole, or West African dance, the festival celebrates diversity and inclusivity, welcoming participants of all backgrounds, abilities, ages and experience levels.
The festival kicked off with One Dance at 12 pm on Friday, April 24 at Jesse Square supported by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Always a crowd favorite, One Dance is a participatory group dance and signature highlight of the festival led since 2012 by Rhythm & Motion’s Artistic Director Dudley Flores. Participants can learn the moves of One Dance beforehand — view the the instructional video here. One Dance reinforces the impact artists can have in activating urban spaces. “Anyone can learn One Dance. It’s what I love about this event – it really is for everyone,” says Flores.
Recent 2026 Press:
“For 28 years, the Bay Area Dance Week festival has been celebrating the artistry, diversity and joy of the San Francisco Bay Area with tons of exciting and free dance events for the whole family,” says Wayne Hazzard, Executive Director of Dancers’ Group. “Drawing more than 2,500 artists and 20,000 attendees annually, Bay Area Dance Week is an opportunity for everyone to support and enjoy our vibrant dance community which is the largest in the country.”
Throughout the festival, participants of all ages and experience levels will have the opportunity to engage with dance in diverse forms. This year’s program includes highlights such as Dancing in the Park SF with Mark Foehringer Dance Project, What’s Up!?! UpSwing Aerial Dance and student performance, LOVING THE AIR, an apparatus-based dance class with Jo Kreiter/FLYAWAY PRODUCTIONS, a Bhangra fundamental class with Rooted Bhangra, Mexican Folkloric, K-Pop, and international folk dance, Indian classical, and Bollywood performances and classes at Downtown Dance! in Fremont, and beginner folklorico basics class at Florecer Dance Studios in San Jose. More details on the festival will be announced at the end of March and throughout April.
History
The first Bay Area Dance Week (BADW) festival grew out of a public dialogue in 1998, when dance artists, administrators, and organizations came together to explore how best to spotlight Bay Area dance during National Dance Week. The festival that emerged took a national initiative — National Dance Week was founded in 1981 to increase awareness of dance and its contributions to our national culture —and imbued it with the innovative and inclusive spirit of the Bay Area.
As the largest per capita center for dance in the United States, the Bay Area’s festivities have been the most extensive and best attended celebrations in the country since Bay Area Dance Week’s inception. Each year, over 150 dance organizations and artists present events during Bay Area Dance Week, involving more than 2,500 artists and 20,000 attendees.
Bay Area Dance Week is presented by Dancers’ Group.
Dance Week Videos
Selected Past Press
Dance Week TV Feature on Live in the Bay on KRON 4
The Mission springs into a month of dance – Mission Local – April 22, 2025
Bay Area throwing a huge, free celebration for dance lovers – East Bay Times – April 24, 2025
Bay Area Dance Week to Return in April – Broadway World – February 29, 2024
Making Moves – East Bay Express – April 26th, 2023
Bay Area Dance Week waltzes back after 3-year absence – Mercury News/Marin Independent Journal/East Bay Times – April 18th, 2023
