Information on this Calendar web page provided only as a service to web users; no other information expressed or implied. See the event web site and/or contact the event for up-to-date details.
An out-of-town dance event – indeed any type dance event – is subject to change. So make sure the event is taking place before you depart!
(Last updated October 14th, 2024.)
Note 1. A good source for info on national and international swing dance events (mostly weekend workshop type events) is Swing Planit.
Note 2. I’ve noticed more swing dance events scheduled for 2025 (perhaps as we get further away from COVID….). Check out the info below, and consider making a trip to an out-of-town event. Mike and Mary have attended a lot of out-of-town swing dance events; we’re happy to provide our thoughts on attending out-of-town events in general, or the specific events noted below in the calendar months.
Upcoming Hepcats events:
o NEW for 2025! Swing Dance Practice Session, Sunday, Jan. 19th. See info below for January 2025, or check out the Hepcats dances web page.
o Hepcats Winter 2025 classes start Sunday, January 26th. Click here for all the info.
November 22-24, 2024:
Hot Jazz Jamboree, Denver, CO.
A full weekend vintage swing festival featuring fast dances collegiate shag and balboa! See their web site for details.
Lindy Focus, Asheville, NC, December 26-31, 2024. See their web site for info.
The nightly dance features music by the great big bands of the 1930's/40's, such as Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, etc. One or more of those nightly dances is certainly worth attending. (As is well known, Asheville, NC suffered damage from Hurricane Helene, if you plan to attend this event, so you should certainly check to see if any changes have been made to the Lindy Focus schedule for 2024.)
NEW for 2025! Sunday, January 19th – Swing Dance Practice Session!
Mike & Mary Richardson always look forward to going out to dance …. but time devoted to practice is equally important! In fact, the more we dance (and we’ve been dancing since 1999), the more we’ve learned about the importance of taking time to practice!
That’s what these Sunday Practice Sessions are about: an opportunity to work on your swing dancing, with great swing music, on the best dance floor in Lexington!
o Doors open, 6:15.
o 6:30-9:30 pm – Mike Richardson DJs lots of great swing music for your dancing (and listening) enjoyment.
o This is a practice session, so Mike the DJ takes requests. Better yet, if you have a favorite song you want to dance to - bring it - and we’ll play it! Recommend you bring an actual CD disc, or MP3 player (with a headphone jack type port) as the media.
o $5, pay at the door (cash or check). Please bring your own water / refreshments.
Hepcats Winter 2025 classes start on Sunday, January 26th! Register for classes at this dance and get $5 off each class series, plus you get free admission to this dance. See Mike or Mary at the dance to get registered for classes. Click here for info about the Hepcats Winter 2025 classes.
Location for this dance: 1801 Alexandria Dr., (Arthur Murray Dance Studio), Lexington; in Gardenside Shopping Center, across from Kroger.
Questions? Contact Mike at [email protected] or 859-420-2426.
Hepcats Winter 2025 Swing Dance classes start Sunday, January 26th! See our classes page for all the details.
Jan. 23-26, 2025: California Balboa Classic, LA, CA area. See their web site for info.
February 14-16, 2025: Hot Rhythm Holiday, Austin, TX.
Full weekend of dancing, live music and workshops in Austin, TX, celebrating Balboa, Collegiate Shag and Fast Lindy.
Dayton Swing Smackdown, Dayton, OH, February 21-23, 2025.
Workshop classes and a team competition. See their web site for info.
March 13-16, 2025: Lindyfest, Houston, TX. See their website for details.
April 25 - 27, 2025: DC Lindy Exchange (DCLX). Lots of dancing in the nation's capital. See their web site for details.
Coney Island USO Swing Dance
& Salute to Veterans
Will this event take place in 2025??
Even though the Coney Island Park closed in 2023, the Cincinnati Warbirds negotiated to have the Memorial Day weekend USO Swing Dance event in 2024 at the Moonlight Pavillion! I'm told there have been discussions to also have the event in 2025. Save the date, keep your fingers crossed, and stay tuned for more info.
Get on up to Coney Island for the Cincinnati Warbirds USO Swing Dance & Salute to Veterans, music by the Tom Daugherty Orchestra, featuring their re-creation of the Glenn Miller Army-Air Force WW II band.
A fun, and patriotic event to attend! $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Location: Coney Island, Moonlight Pavilion, 6201 Kellogg Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
May 22-25, 2025: International Lindy Hop Championships. For 2024, the event took place in the NYC area.
See their web site for info.
May 23-25, 2025: Camp Jitterbug, Seattle, WA. See their web site for details.
May 30-June 1, 2025: Back Home Again Indiana, Indianapolis, IN. See their website for details.
June, 2025. Swingin' Under the Stars! Location: Moondance, in Beaumont, Lexington, KY. More details to be announced after the first of the year.
Alas, the All Balboa Weekend (ABW) was postponed for 2024, but the event is scheduled to take place in 2025.
All you Balboa dancers - - keep an eye out for the dates and details for ABW in 2025!
June 20-22, 2025: MTL Bal Jam, Montreal, Canada. See their web site for details.
June 20-22, 2025: San Diego Balboa and Lindy Exchange, San Diego, CA.
See their web site for details.
Friday, July 4th: Happy Birthday America!
August 25 - September 1, 2025: Camp Hollywood, LA. If you can make it to LA, this is a great event to attend.
Saturday, September 6th, 2025: Cincinnati Museum Center's 1940's Day.
Location: Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45203. A fun event to attend! A bit of info about this event. This is an overall fun event to attend. We recommend you attend, and note vintage clothes are not required - but if you got 'em you should wear your best 1930's/40's vintage clothing to get in the spirit of the event!
The event takes place at the Cincy Museum Center, a beautiful and historic art deco designed 1930's facility. There is a vintage car display featuring vehicles from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, sometimes a flyover of vintage aircraft provided by the Cincinnati Warbirds (the group that sponsors the Coney Island USO Swing Dance), vintage fashion contest, historical presentations, vintage wares for sale from Casablanca Vintage, plus other activities.
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The events listed on the Hepcats Calendar web page are ones Mike & Mary have attended, or heard good things about from others whose opinions we trust. Note some Lindy Hop events may also include classes & competitions for Balboa, and perhaps Collegiate Shag, i.e. Camp Hollywood. Of course, this is not an all inclusive list….check out the Swing Planit web site for info on other events in the U.S. and worldwide.
Caveat emptor! Hyperbole is rampant and commonplace these days, especially in swing dance event promotion on FB, event web sites, etc. It’s a challenge separating fact from fiction – – so buyer beware! You can also check out our “What’s the scoop?“ feature (see below).
What's the scoop? No, not ice cream - but what's the scoop on swing dance events?
Mike & Mary are often asked about swing dance events - - what's the event like, is the event worth attending, etc.... So we're providing info on a few (of the very many!) events we've attended over the years called - - What’s the Scoop? Click on this link to get the scoop!