Our favourite Cuba Street-based festival of the year
No really – we love CubaDupa with a passion. Last year’s inaugural event was spectacular, and fabulous, and wonderful, and a little bit magical – and we’re expecting great things again this year. Woohoo!
Check out the CubaDupa website – and here’s the CubaDupa map and performance schedule (PDF) for you to download.
Once again we’ve brought together our samba school family from around the country – watch out for performances all over Cuba Street over the weekend by AKSamba (Auckland), Bay Batucada (Hawkes Bay), Sambatron/Tauranga Samba (Hamilton/Tauranga), Samba del Sol (Nelson) and O’Ziriguidum all the way from Oz – as well as Wellington Batucada. It’s gonna be massive!
…and on Sunday it’ll be even massiver (yeah, it’s a word!) with the Carnival Bloco Mass Jam – 150-odd drummers and dancers doing their samba thang through the streets and alleyways of central Wellington, finishing up on the Swan Dancehall Stage (hoping we can all fit on!) for our grand finale.
Here’s the Bloco CubaDupa timetable:
Saturday 19 March
Sambatron / Tauranga Samba
2.15 – 2.35 pm Upper Cuba Street performance
2.35 – 3.15 pm Parade from Upper Cuba Street to Te Aro Park
3.15 – 3.45 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park
Nelson Samba de Sol
5.25 – 5.45 pm Glover Park Stage
5.45 – 6.20 pm Parade to Te Aro Park
6.20 – 7.00 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park
AK Samba
7.45 – 8.05 pm Swan Dancehall stage performance and off stage
8.05 – 8.45 pm Parade to Te Aro Park
8.45 – 9.30 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park
Wellington Batucada
9.15 – 9.35 pm Swan Dancehall stage performance and off stage
9.35 – 10.15 pm Parade to Te Aro Park
10.15 – 10.45 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park
Sunday 20 March
O’Zirigidum
12.30 – 1.00 pm Parade from Ghuznee Street to Te Aro Park
1.00 – 1.45 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park
Bay Batucada
1.30 – 2.00 pm Parade from Ghuznee Street to Te Aro Park
2.00 – 2.30 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park
Batucada Finale (all Batucada groups)
2.30 – 3.00 pm Street performance, Te Aro Park Zone
3.00 – 3.30 pm Mass parade to Swan Dancehall Stage
3.30 – 4.00 pm Swan Dancehall stage performance
…and in case you were wondering about the hat – Wellington Batucada’s costume theme this year is…. Day of The Dead – wooOOOooo!
SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!