About
What is Caravanseray Vienna Dance Festival?
Caravanseray Vienna Dance Festival is a two-day event dedicated to the art and community of fusion bellydance and related art forms, with workshops, shows and surrounding community social events.
-> About
When is it happening?
The 2026 edition takes place from Saturday, 29th to Sunday, 30th of August 2026
When can I book my intensives and tickets?
The booking opens in specific booking windows. Find our schedule here.
Booking & Workshops
How does the booking work?
All festival bookings will run via the festival website – the prices will rise with each booking window.
Each booking window opens at midnight on the first day and closes at midnight on the last day. There will be no booking possible outside the booking windows.
Will there be recordings?
No. This year we’re a ‘live’ event only.
Are there any other requirements for the workshops?
All humans are welcome, from independent teenagers to enthusiastic golden-agers. We do realize bellydance is perceived as a very feminine dance form, but our goal is to have all genders participating in class, so that it’s not an oddity anymore and everyone can feel comfortable. We’re proud to say that it is slowly but steadily getting more varied each year.
Come as you are!
If you have a pre-existing health condition or are worried about health risk, please discuss your intention to join a belly dance workshop with your doctor or specialist before attending a workshop. You are reminded that you attend at your own risk.
Are the locations wheelchair friendly?
Yes, for the show: Theater of Delight at Szene Wien is wheelchair friendly, sadly no for the Workshops.
In which language are the workshops taught?
English and German, but let us know if you need translation help in other languages, we’ll try to find you language buddies.
I have financial troubles, and still want to take part, what can I do?
The past few years have been hard on everyone, so if it’s an issue, please go check out the new Caravanseray Community Dance Pot. We’ve been successfully using this system for our Nakari classes since 2020 and brought it to CarVie as well. Please take and give as much as you wish.
Performing
How can I perform at the Caravanseray Vienna Festival?
Performance Applications will open in each booking window and are bound to show tickets booking. We will answer the applications after each booking window. First come – first serve, your chance is the highest, the sooner you hop on!
What are the requirements for performers?
You need to fill out the performance application form. Please be aware that it is mandatory for each performer on our stage to book three show tickets. (No matter how often and in which constellations you are performing on our stage.) If you don’t need all of your 3 tickets for yourself and your personal support group attending the show is smaller than 3, you are welcome to donate the tickets to our CarVie community dance pot.
What if I want to perform multiple times?
If you want to perform multiple times, e.g. solo and with a group, you are very welcome to send multiple Performance Application Forms. Performers with more bookings for more performances will be prioritized.
What will I need to fill out the performance application form?
All details are listed in the form. The form is basically our place to go for all your performance information in one spot. We do realize that you probably won’t have a performance already ready and filmed in Feb ‘26 for a performance in August ‘26, but don’t worry. In the first booking window, we just have to get a general idea of what you want to do, style and atmosphere of your performance and whether it is a solo or a group piece, how big the group is, etc., so we can decide how to book your slot. You’ll be asked to update the forms with detailed information closer to the event during the upcoming booking windows.
A little cheat sheet for the performance applications: You will need stage name of the group or soloist – legal names of all group members – city & country – contact phone number – website – instagram account tags – a text about you or your troupe – your completed show ticket bookings – for each of your performance options: performance title, video of the piece (can be rehearsal video as well, in this case please send us a photo or video of the costume planned), style, music title and artist, track length (solo 3min, duo 4min, group 5-6min), text about the piece – link to your promotion photos which you have legal copyrights to (google drive, dropbox) – codeword: 12 Grimmauld Place
Can you guarantee me a performance spot?
This year we might not be able to fit everyone in as we are working with only one show evening, but your chances are highest at the Very Early Bird Booking Window and quite likely for the Early Bird Booking Window as well.
What kind of performances are welcome?
Caravanseray Vienna is Austria’s biggest international dance festival for Contemporary Bellydance and Fusion Art Forms. We welcome all dance styles, Contemporary Art is open and flexible in mixing many styles together so that everything finds its place. We aim for a rich show with many different pieces.
When will I know if I got a performance slot?
First come – first serve principle. After each booking window closes, we sort out the performance applications and decide which performances will make the show, you’ll hear from us via email.
Our troupe does FCBD / ITS / Dialects Improv, can we still apply without a choreo video?
We love you and we would like to have you all with us at the CarVie. Therefore we need to know from you, as we do from all the other performers, what you are planning for your performance. We know that you are very adaptable and diverse, nevertheless we need specific proposals with music, possibly props. Please send your favorite option as the first option, you can send as many additional options or special ideas as you like.
Is Fire Dancing an Option?
Not this year, as we’re all indoors without a fire license, but you’re welcome to apply with LED props.
Are Aerial Acrobatics possible?
We wish, but sadly we don’t have a rigging point in the theater.
What are the deadlines for performance information, music etc?
Deadline for completing the performance information and submitting the music track is June 10th, 2026. (end of the third booking window)
Can I send you performance information via email or message as well?
Please don’t, instead update your performance application form during the available booking windows to add any details and only send us a message to inform us that you updated the form. The form is the only place where we have all your information we need for announcements, advertisement and stagetime in one place. We usually need that info weeks and months after you send it to us, so it’s impossible to sift through loads of individual messages from everyone. We want to work efficiently and try to save precious time, so please be clear and keep everything in the form.
Why do I have to book show tickets for a performance slot?
We organize this festival because we are two idealists who love the dance and the community around it. We don‘t receive any funding or government support and have to finance everything through the festival and our own pockets only. The past few years have been very hard for the festival’s financial situation and we are very unsure at the moment if we can afford to continue organizing Caravanseray. We do want to give the fusion bellydance community the proper stage and platform that we feel it deserves – so we’re trying things differently since last year with a new booking system and raised prices, to hopefully get the amount of money we actually would need to make this possible without depleting our personal ressources. The festival only exists with your support, financially and otherwise.
Will there be photos and videos of the shows?
We have a different team of photographer and videographer volunteers documenting the whole festival every year. Photos might be shared on social media after the festival and used for promotions for future the festival editions. Performers will have the opportunity to purchase high res photos and video material of their performances, when they are available (if they are available at all, depending on the capacity of our volunteers).
Vending & Teaching
How can I vend at the Bazaar?
We’re unsure atm if we can fit in a Bazaar at the studio. If you’re interested please contact us at nakari@nakari.info with a description of your products and how they fit in the CarVie concept.
How can I teach at the festival?
The teachers are selected by Doro and Michaela based on personal experience in teaching, performance, personality and their presence in the bellydance community. Your best bet is to come to CarVie as a participant, experience the festival first and meet us in person. We plan each edition more than a year in advance with the next teacher team already in mind and there is no teacher application for the festival.