Programme Overview

Full Schedule

Sat – Sun – Mon – Afternoon Schedule

Common Activities

Ready to go Upside Down? Wonderful! Here is some moments for sharing inspiration and new ideas, a dance and a chat, a drink and snack, moments to get surprised and to be turned Upside Down.

We present to you: 5 evenings of dancing and partying hard. We are selecting some really dope live bands and DJ’s. Every night we hold a competition and a midnight surprise. We kick off the evening with an Upside Down Starter, not to be missed!

As we like to party late, we never finish before 4 in the morning

What’s in a name? Just come over and find out what our daily Upside Down Starter is about. We highly recommend attending this moment before the evening parties – it will be a place to connect, be inspired and to enjoy. To learn and to be challenged.

“Are you awake? Time to dance at our cozy afternoon dances ‘Thé Dansant’. Bands and DJ’s are ready for you. No need to rush breakfast at home to be in time for this social dance. We serve coffee, croissants, granola and other snacks to start your day here, in good company with beautiful music.”

We like ‘gezelligheid’. It’s hard to translate, but the the closest word in English would be ‘cozyness’. For one afternoon a dozen Ghentians open their living rooms. Different activities will be going on. At the festival, you have the possibility to choose one living room to hang out during this cozy afternoon.

Afternoon Tracks

Looking for more inputs for your dancing, body awareness, or music playing? No problem, join one (or two) of our afternoon tracks:

We still connect with lyrics to songs that are sometimes over 100 years old – Take this track and learn why, through singing! Share your voice and gain confidence and etiquette to sit in with jazz bands. Learn how to lead a band, count in tunes, call endings, and tantalize listeners with the stories you tell. Get ready for three afternoons of jazz vocals with our wonderful guest singer from NYC, Cait Jones.

Beginner dancers, Upside Down needs you !! Yes, you 🙂

If you have been taking Lindy Hop classes for a few months or up to one year, this is the ideal track for you. Because we know that big festivals can be overwhelming, and intimidating – mostly, when you just started dancing.

In the Startrack, you will have 3 afternoons of Lindy Hop classes in a small group and with a few great international teacher couples. From basic technique to musicality and improvisation, you will cover a lot of material.

This is where you practice and learn together, get to know each other, share the joy of the Lindy bug that just bit you, and then dance and party with everybody until dawn.

Let’s get you turned Upside Down! Don’t expect a typical lindy hop class. We made a nice selection of dances with a swing era link that allow you to expand your dancing skills.

Every day, three teachers present you a different topic. You can decide on the spot which workshop you’ll attend.

All you need is an instrument, and some basic skills on how to play it.

We will form a little ‘participants-upside-down-jazz-band’. Three afternoons of classes with some of our favorite local musicians as well as guest teachers. We will cover a lot of topics such as arranging, improvising, maybe some jazz history, rhythms and specific musicians/band styles from the swing era.

Let’s “Jamn’ right”!

Food

We all know that good food is one of the most important things in life – no way to turn this Upside Down. Yes, we LOVE tasty food. It keeps us going and cheers us up.

Even more, we love to eat with good company: turning strangers into friends over a nice meal, catching up with old friends while enjoying dinner, and getting to know each other better while drinking a coffee.

We would like to share this passion of ours during Upside Down.

You can choose to join us for dinner at the party venue. You won’t have to worry about finding restaurants in Ghent. And above all, you’ll have the opportunity to chat and hang out with your (new) dancing friends. Because we believe in healthy vegetarian food, that’s what you can expect.

Join our festive dinner party on New Year’s Eve! On the menu, a multi-course-menu of delicious vegetarian cuisine, including a glass of cava to cheer on the start of a wonderful new year.

Come to join the good vibes, for our very last dinner of 2019.

Partying all night, learning, socializing and dancing all day – let’s make sure we all keep going.

During our afternoon dances, the ‘The Dansant’, we serve breakfast, coffee & cake, refreshing drinks and other snacks.

During the evening parties, our snackbar will be there for refuelling.

Extra Activities

Still can’t get enough? For our just unstoppable friends, here is some last ideas of how to fill your days during Upside Down:

We believe that a private class can help you more than any other class. You get personal feedback, at the right time. Half an hour is often enough to receive plenty of feedback. Perfect in combination with some “Body and Soul” training sessions.

It’s all in the name! There is a space, and it is open to anyone and anything. Your head is bursting with ideas? Feel free to take the initiative, go crazy or whatever. We’ll provide a signboard at the festival where you can announce your crazy idea.

Life is more than dancing? Of course! We’ve selected some nice non-dancing afternoon activities. Perfect to get out of the dancing bubble and be refreshed for the evening parties.

You’ll be able to register for Out of the Box activities at the festival.

Sure, we like competitions! But let’s do something a little bit different.

Every day we’ll hold one competition, with different formats, challenges, partners, etc. etc. For most competitions, you will be able to sign up during the festival or even on the spot.

Let’s activate our brain and our committed organizational skills. A workshop about festival management where we’ll share experiences, good practices, thoughts and doubts. Perfect for everybody that’s involved in, or interested in, organising swing dance festivals.