Let's Dance

With two world-class ballrooms and an extraordinary calendar of competitions and events, Blackpool is the undisputed capital of dance – and 2020 promises to be a very special year.

In May, the internationally-acclaimed Blackpool Dance Festival will celebrate its 100^th anniversary year with a dazzling 14-day event in the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens, attracting dancers from across the globe.

The celebrations for this milestone here in the spiritual home of ballroom promise to be spectacular – a far cry from Easter of 1920 in an age when Modern Ballroom and Latin American were unknown and there were sequence dances in just waltz, foxtrot and two-step. The 2020 festival takes place from May 16-29.

A few hundred yards away, you can quite literally follow in the steps of Strictly at the world-famous Tower Ballroom. It’s open to the public daily but, be warned: If you are a first-time visitor, prepare to be astounded when you walk through the doors and see the ballroom in all of its magnificent, jaw-dropping splendour.

Other key dance dates for your calendar:

January 17-19: Russian State Ballet perform Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake at the Grand Theatre
February 23: Argentinian dance superstars German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi perform Tango Fire at the Grand Theatre
April 11: Burn The Floor. Brother and sister Kevin and Joanne Clifton return to the Winter Gardens where they launched their dance careers.
May 14: The UK tour of Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals comes to the Winter Gardens for one night only
April 13-19: Young dances from all over the world compete in the Junior Blackpool Dance Festival at the Winter Gardens
July 9-September 12: Euphoria Hot Ice at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Arena. A spectacular and sensual ice dance show that will take your breath away.
August 20-23: Thousands of young dancers from across the globe compete in the UDO World Street Dancing Championships at the Winter Gardens in front of celebrity judges.