WISHES Rotterdam 2027 dates, tickets, programme

What WISHES is

WISHES calls itself the Rotterdam International Dance Festival and the biggest all-styles festival in the Netherlands. It is a three-day weekend for salsa, Dominican bachata and kizomba: workshops during the day, socials in the early evening and a party with three rooms at night.

The festival has two venues, three styles, more than 40 workshops and more than 20 shows.

Dates and programme

The festival runs from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 January 2027. The Sunday party ends at 03:00 on Monday 11 January.

Friday: registration 13:00 to 18:00, workshops 14:00 to 18:00, a kizomba social 17:00 to 20:00, a salsa and bachata social 17:30 to 20:30 and the party from 23:00 to 04:00.

Saturday: registration and workshops 12:00 to 18:00, a salsa and bachata social 17:00 to 20:00, a kizomba social 17:30 to 20:30, a showcase 21:00 to 22:30 and the party from 23:00 to 04:00.

Sunday: registration and workshops 12:00 to 18:00, two socials in the early evening that are still to be announced, and the party from 22:00 to 03:00. The full programme is still to come.

Where in Rotterdam

The main venue is the De Doelen concert and conference centre at Schouwburgplein 50, which the organiser describes as spread over three levels with rooms that each have their own atmosphere.

The second venue is the Laurenskerk, the oldest building still standing in the centre. During the festival there is a salsa and bachata social and a kizomba social in the church.

Tickets and prices

Tickets are sold in the organiser's Weeztix shop in phases; these are the phase 9 prices. A Full Pass is €155 plus a €1 fee and is sold per style and role: salsa, bachata or kizomba, leader or follower. There is also a Switch Pass at €155, and a couple ticket for all styles at €300. Whichever style you pick, a Full Pass also gets you into the workshops and parties of the other two.

Day passes cost €65 on Friday, €75 on Saturday and €55 on Sunday. A Social Pass is €35. For the nights only there is a Party Pass at €80, or a pass for one night: €35 on Friday, €40 on Saturday and €30 on Sunday. All prices are plus a €1 fee.

Teachers and DJs

The organiser lists teachers per style. For salsa they include Frankie Martinez (US), Sasha Philips (UK) and Alicia Velasco (ES). For bachata they include Alberto Vasquez (IT) and Cristian & Katerina (ES/RU). For kizomba they include Trezor & Aurea (NL/ES) and Steph & Sarah (FR).

There is a DJ list for each style too, with names such as DJ Cycy (FR), DJ Pingusso (LUX) and DJ Bripa.

Getting there and where to stay

De Doelen is five minutes on foot from Rotterdam Centraal. From Schiphol the Intercity Direct takes 26 minutes to Rotterdam Centraal. From Rotterdam The Hague Airport, bus 33 takes 20 minutes. Eurostar runs direct to Rotterdam Centraal from London, Paris and Brussels or Antwerp.

By car, the garages around the venue charge from about €17 a day. The organiser points to the free, unguarded P+R Capelsebrug and P+R Melanchtonweg, and to P+R Alexander and P+R Meijersplein, which are where you can park free and guarded for up to 72 hours if you carry on by public transport with an OV-chipkaart.

The organiser lists Marriott Rotterdam next to the venue, Hotel The James and NH Atlanta five minutes away, and Easy Hotel and Postillion Hotel WTC ten minutes away. Hotel The James has a festival code, TheJames-Wishes2027, for one or two nights.