Forró com Papaya Fiesta

★ FORRÓ COM PAPAYA FIESTA ★ - beginner class + live band Desabafo no Pé + DJ

Get ready to fall in love with your new favourite dance. For the first time ever, PAPAYA Fest x Forró Bristol are joining forces to bring the warmth of Northeast Brazil to The Old Market Assembly - one big night of live music, dancing and connection.

Here’s how it works, and it’s foolproof: we kick off with a beginner-friendly class, so you’ll actually know what to do with your feet before the band strikes a note. Then it’s live forró all night from the all-female trio Desabafo no Pé, with a DJ to carry it late.

Never danced it before? Even better - come and learn. Forró is a Brazilian partner dance built on closeness and pure joy, and honestly, it’s one of the loveliest ways there is to meet a whole room of strangers. No partner needed. No experience needed. Just turn up ready to move.

DESABAFO NO PÉ - three women (Brazil, Colombia & France) on accordion, zabumba and triangle, delivering high-energy, foot-driven forró that honours the tradition and gives it a fresh, feminist twist. A “desabafo” is the Brazilian art of letting it all out - so leave your worries at the door and let the dancing do the rest.

This is the kind of night PAPAYA was built for: live music, a little learning, and everyone in the room dancing together by the end.

10pm Doors
2am Close