Edinburgh Samba School

Loud and lively, energetic and dynamic - The Edinburgh Samba School (TESS) is a regular and popular feature of community festivals and special events in Edinburgh and elsewhere in Britain and Europe.

From our humble beginnings in 1992 we have grown to become a loud and lively performance group specialising in authentic rhythms from the flamboyant Carnival culture of Brazil. Samba is the heartbeat of celebration, street parties, dance, and fun - our aim is to promote Brazilian carnival culture throughout the UK and Europe.

All funds raised by TESS are used to sustain the group’s activities in the community - teaching, rehearsing, purchase and maintenance of instruments - as well as a variety of outreach projects.

TESS has performed at many high-profile events in Edinburgh including the Murrayfield Rugby 7s, the Edinburgh Festival Cavalcade, the Jazz and Blues Festival Mardi Gras, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and many more. We’ve also performed further afield, including in the Tenerife Carnival (the largest outside Rio!), Amsterdam’s King’s Day, and the Fête de la Musique in Paris.

We also drum and dance for street festivals, private parties, community or corporate events, club gigs - anything that requires a loud party atmosphere.

TESS runs regular percussion and dance courses for anyone who is interested in performing with us or fancies giving it a try - it’s great fun! There are plenty of other ways to get involved too.

If you’d like to see more of us in action, take a look at our Facebook gallery and Youtube channel.