Blackpool - 100 Years

I've been to a lot of competitions. I've won a few. But the moment I walked into the Winter Gardens Ballroom at Blackpool, I knew this was special.

What I didn't know was how it would make me feel — when you understand that you're standing somewhere people have been dreaming of standing for a hundred years.

This was the 100th anniversary of the Blackpool Dance Festival. Dancers from all over the world had come to compete on this floor — this specific, legendary floor — and I was one of them. I've worked toward this for a long time. A bucket list item I'd been patient about, waiting until the moment felt right.

I made it through the rounds. First round, quarter finals, semifinals — and then the finals. I'm not going to pretend I took that in stride. The level of dancing at Blackpool is unlike anything you see at a typical competition. These are the best in the world, and making it to the final with them meant something.

But the moment I keep coming back to? When the Empress Orchestra struck up for the final dances.

A full orchestra in that room, playing for that audience, on that floor —"Almost magical" is the best I can do. I'm not prone to hyperbole, so I'll just say: it earned that description.

Blackpool was worth every year I waited. I came home with more than I expected — not just the experience, but a renewed sense of what this art form is capable of and why we do what we do.

I'm glad I finally went. And I'm even more glad I get to bring a piece of it back here.

— Debbie

What Is Blackpool, Exactly?

If ballroom dancing has a holy grail, it's called Blackpool.

The Blackpool Dance Festival has been held in Blackpool, England — a seaside resort town on the northwest coast — since 1920. This year marked its 100th edition, a milestone that drew competitors, coaches, and fans from more than 60 countries. It is, by most measures, the most prestigious ballroom and Latin dance competition in the world.

The event takes place inside the Winter Gardens, a sprawling Victorian entertainment complex that's been hosting events since 1878. The main ballroom — the Empress Ballroom — seats thousands, and during competition week, it's standing room only for the top rounds. The floor itself has become something of a legend. Dancers talk about "dancing at Blackpool" the way musicians talk about Carnegie Hall. The room has weight to it.

What makes Blackpool different from other competitions isn't just prestige — it's the sheer concentration of talent. Champions from every major country compete here. The judging panels are among the most respected in the sport. And the audience knows what they're watching. When something exceptional happens on that floor, they feel it.

The festival runs over ten days and covers all styles: Standard (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz), Latin (Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive), and a range of amateur, professional, and pro-am categories. For the final rounds, the Empress Orchestra plays live — a tradition that gives the event a texture you simply cannot replicate with recorded music.

Reaching the finals at Blackpool, in any category, is a career accomplishment. The rounds are relentless, the field is deep, and there is nowhere to hide on that floor.

A hundred years in, it hasn't lost a step.