More than 1,000 elite DanceSport athletes to descend on Blackpool for global festival at Winter Gardens
More than 1,000 elite DanceSport athletes from over 50 countries are set to descend on Blackpool later this month for a major international competition.
The WDSF DanceSport Festival 2026 will take place at the Winter Gardens from March 26 to March 29, bringing four days of world-class Standard and Latin dance performances to the resort.
Organised by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the event will see competitors from across the globe battling it out in a packed programme of international competitions.
For the first time, the festival will run simultaneously across two historic venues within the Winter Gardens complex - the Empress Ballroom and Spanish Hall - allowing for an expanded schedule of events.
The festival will feature a range of high-level competitions including the WDSF GrandSlam, Professional Super Grand Prix and World Challenge Cup Rising Stars, alongside International Open Standard and Latin events awarding world ranking points.
New additions for this year’s event include a Team Match format, Solo Latin Female competitions, and expanded categories for juvenile and junior dancers.
The festival will also host championships in Standard and Latin for Junior II, Youth and Under-21 dancers, aimed at supporting the development of young athletes in the sport.
Official proceedings will begin on March 25 with the WDSF Standard and Latin Adjudicators Congress and the WDSF Open Congress, before four days of competition get underway.
The event will also be broadcast globally, with production led by Vivaro Media, which has previously delivered coverage of major sporting events including the Olympic Games.
Among those expected to compete are World Games 2025 gold medallists Anastasia Glazunova and Alexey Glukhov, alongside many other top-ranked athletes from around the world.
WDSF President Shawn Tay said: “The WDSF DanceSport Festival in Blackpool is becoming a symbol of excellence, tradition and innovation.
“With an expanded programme and exciting new categories, we continue to support the growth of DanceSport worldwide while honouring its heritage in one of the world’s most historic venues.”
Athlete registrations remain open until March 10, with tickets available through the official WDSF platform.