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Blackpool Dance Festival celebrates 100th anniversary

Georgie DockerNorth West
Getty Images A ballroom dancing couple wearing black and red dancing in the centre of a large dancefloor.Getty Images
The Blackpool Dance Festival attracts thousands of competitors a year from across the globe

A Lancashire seaside town is set to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its annual dance competition.

Blackpool has long been a famous for its dance heritage - with its iconic Tower Ballroom featuring in the Strictly Come Dancing live shows and its annual dance festival, widely being regarded as the world's most prestigious ballroom dancing competition.

First hosted in 1920, the Blackpool Dance Festival now welcomes thousands of competitors each year from across the globe to compete on the famous floor of the Empress Ballroom.

The festival is returning to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool from 16 - 29 May.

Still from Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool event with multiple couples on a brightly decorated stage.
Blackpool has been dubbed as the UK's 'dance capital' with with Strictly Come Dancing visiting the Tower Ballroom each year

Usually an eight day event, the 2026 festival will run over a 14 day period for the centenary year.

The festival covers multiple categories of dance - from ballroom and Latin American dance competitions to the the British Open Championships for adult amateur and professional couples, and formation teams.

For the anniversary celebrations, a commemorative reel - made up of photos and videos submissions from attendees over the years - will be played on big screens in the Empress Ballroom throughout the competition.

And there will also be a chance for members of the public to take part, in a celebratory event, with lectures and guests, at the Empress Ballroom on 23 May.

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