Twistin' The Swing - every other Sunday, live gypsy swing, free | 2pm-5pm | fb page | map | photo, photo | video
- The Occidental Pub, 6 Vulcan Lane, downtown Auckland city. Belgian Beer Pub. Licensed bar & restaurant
- 200m walk up from Britomart transport hub for trains & buses. Paid parking nearby on-street or parking garages
First Sundays with the North Harbour Swing Band - monthly, live big band, $15 | 6pm-9pm | fb page | map | photo
- Point Chevalier R.S.A, 178 Great North Road, Pt Chev. Licensed bar, good, well-priced food
- Free parking on street or suburban side streets, or if really busy, the free car park within 100m (lots of spaces behind KFC on Parr Road N (entrance also from Carrington Rd). Bus stops within 100m
Playroom - First Fridays, swing DJ/spotify playlist, $10 | 8pm-10pm | fb page | map | photos | videos
- Studio 2, Viva Dance Studios, 10 Newton Rd, Auckland, a short 50m walk down the hill from corner of Ponsonby Rd & Karangahake Rd. BYO any drink
- Bus stops on K'Rd, Ponsonby Road and Great North road for heaps of bus routes. Free on-street parking is all around, but Friday is a popular night out so you may need to drive around. Paid parking nearby in parking garages
Last Fridays with the New Orleans Joymakers - monthly on last Friday, live 6-piece band, New Orleans-style jazz, $10 | 7.30pm-10pm | fb page | map | photo
- 25-30 Lake Road, Devonport, lovely floor for dancing. It is North Shore United club house, also known as Dacre Park, or Allen Hill Stadium soccer rooms. Licensed bar, coffee, tea and snacks available
- Exact location, as it's a bit hard to find: The venue's driveway is between a small car lot (Pronto Cars and Rock Star Cars) and an old fire station, drive down a long driveway, then through some security gates into the venue's car parking area. The venue's signage is quite hard to see from Lake Road, so if you reach the roundabout to Devonport you've gone too far
- Lots of free parking in the soccer club's car park. Bus stop is 150m away (cnr Allenby Rd & Lake Rd) and the Devonport Ferry terminal is 1.7kms (22 mins walk) which gets you to the city Ferry Building (near Britomart) in 12 mins (runs every 30 mins, see Fullers ferry schedule)
Tuxedo Swing - Sundays every 6 weeks with the End-of-Block swing party, live 10-piece swinging big band, $15 | 7pm-10pm | fb page | map | video, pics1, pics 2, pics3, video montage
- To be Confirmed for every 6 week's, Sundays: 4 Mar, 15 Apr, 27 May, 8 Jul, 19 Aug, 30 Sept, 11 Oct, 23 Dec 2018
- Ponsonby Cruising Club, 141-151 Westhaven Drive. This is in Westhaven Marina, just under the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Licensed bar, beautiful view. Popular night, well-supported by swing dancers. Dance floor is quite sticky, so you'll see talc is used to speed up the floor - the venue has no issue with this
- Free parking in the venue's car park, free on-street nearby, paid/free car parks for the Marina nearby
- Bus access isn't so good, so perhaps Uber or get a lift as it's 1.3km to the nearest bus stop up at Jervois Rd/Shelley Rd or 2km walk to the buses on Fanshawe St by Victoria Park
- This is a lovely place to meet other dancers, check out some dancing or just chill out and listen to the big band. All welcome along with Swing Out Central, Gin Mill Swing and All-in Swing for some fun dancing, friendly people
Other jazz gigs around Auckland
- Check out the Auckland Jazz and Blues Club , Creative Jazz Club and EventFinda for other live jazz gigs around Auckland city
- Society Jazzmen (as of 2016 due to low dancer turnout at this weekly Sunday gig) - is still on Sundays live new orleans-style jazz, free | 4pm-7pm | fb page | map | photo | video | They play a weekly gig at De Fonteins beer pub, Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay. Belgian Beer Bar, small wooden floor but danceable, space for 1 or 2 couples dancing. Dancers rarely get along to it, just so's you know | Free parking on street, but this area is popular at the weekend
Other bands around Auckland we dance to. Tend to have one-off gigs
- The Lindy Tops - jazz tunes with their lead singer, Stephie Harmsworth who is a swing dancer too | fb page | map | band photo | video, video, video
- The Alibis - live jump blues band | listen
- Prohibition Band - line up can be either Jazz Swingtet or Ensemble (12 piece) or Big Band (18 piece) | fb page
- The Wellington City Shake-'em-on Downers - live band who once a year come up to Auckland from Wellington | fb page | video
- Liam Neeson Tribute Jazz Band - A jazz small group dedicated to playing good charts | fb page
- Society Jazzmen - live new orleans-style jazz | 4pm-7pm, free| fb page | map | photo | video | They play a weekly gig at De Fonteins beer pub, Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay. Belgian Beer Bar, small wooden floor but danceable, space for 1 or 2 couples dancing. Dancers rarely get along to it, just so's you know... Free parking on street, but this area is popular at the weekend.
- Shanghai Lils - 335 Karangahape Rd, central Auckland /playlist, the fabulous Billy playing swinging jazz on the piano. Shanghai Lils has been a favourite venue for swing dancers for Wednesday nights, and at last they've reopened in their new location | 5pm-late, free | venue's fb page | map | google street view
- Lula Inn - live Band Big Ticket play Saturdays - a type of Soule, R&B, upbeat that's like 'Post Modern Juke Box'. Can dance swing dancing (Balboa, fast lindy hop/charleston, solo jazz) but it's definitely not swing music | venue is 149 Quay St at the start of the Viaduct Harbour, beside the Maritime Museum and the big KZ1 sailing boat on display | An example fb event
Venues or gigs no longer on
- Swing dancing at Shanghai Lil's (as of 3 Nov 2017 due to low dancer turnout at this weekly Wednesday event) | was: swing playlist, free | 8.30pm-11.30pm | venue's fb page | map | google street view | 335 Karangahape Road, central Auckland, Licensed bar, space for 8+ couples to dance plus solo jazz'ers | Excellent bus connections, as all K'Rd buses stop about 80m away | Parking is a bit harder: try K'Rd, the parking paid car park (closes midnight), suburban streets in Grey Ave, off Ponsonby Rd, Newton, or Beresford St (all within 500m walk, 7 mins)
- Surrey Blues Sessions (as of 3 Nov 2017 due to low dancer turnout at this monthly usually 2nd Sundays) | Was: , DJ'd/playlists, free | 6pm-9pm | fb event to come | map | The Surrey Pub & Hotel, 465 Great North Road. Licensed bar & restaurant | Free parking on-street nearby and outside. Bus stops within 100m | Free 30 minute lesson starts 6pm. This is the only regular blues social dance in town, and it's hosted by the blues dancing community here in Auckland. Come along and enjoy a lovely pub roast or pizza (veggie options, too) followed by some sweet blues dancing. This is strictly a blues dancing evening (there's no swing music for lindy hop or balboa)
- Second Saturdays with the New Orleans Joymakers - (as of 31 July 2017 due to low dancer turnout. We've agreed with the band to instead focus on building up the number of dancers at their end-of-month Devonport gig. Was: live new orleans-style jazz, $10 | 7.30pm-10pm | fb page | map | photo| video Orakei R.S.A, 178 Kepa Road, Orakei. Licensed bar, selling snacks & bar food. Free parking out the front of venue and within 100m. Bus stops within 100m
- Last Sundays with the North Harbour Swing Band - Good new/bad news: Sad news (as of 13 April 2017) this gig is no longer on. Good news it's moved date and venue to now be First Sundays at Pt Chev RSA, see above
- Queen's Cafe Bistro, 34 Queens St in the Queens Arcade, downtown Auckland city, venue photo | Had been the Lindy Tops playing fortnightly in late 2016-early 2017 |200m walk up from Britomart transport hub for trains & buses. Paid parking nearby on-street or parking garages | As you enter the arcade from Queens street, take first door on the right, and go up 1 flight of stairs | Licensed bar & restaurant - please support the venue by buying drinks or food & please be considerate of restaurant diners and staff
- TriBeCa restaurant - had been on Wednesdays, weekly DJ'd dance in the summer months Dec 2016-Feb 2017 | map | photo | video | TriBeCa restaurant, 8 George St, Parnell, in the outdoor courtyard bar area at the rear of the restaurant. This is right next door to the Swing Out Central - Parnell venue at Jubilee Hall and was also the after-class dance. Free parking in the massive car park at the rear, bus stops directly outside on Parnell Rd
If you're planning ahead, see the google calendar at the top of the main gig guide page