We’ll sure be swinging the nights away, but by day, we invite you to explore the entrancing city of Amsterdam with us. We have a host of inspiring experiences in stock for you this year, and we can’t wait to tell you about all of them. Here’s a first taste of our day programme. For more, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and keep an eye on this website!

Amsterdam Architecture Tour - Friday Sept 13th at 14h

Everyone knows the beautiful 17th century canal houses that permeate the center of Amsterdam. But the city is also home to countless art-nouveau and art-deco treasures, as well as iconic Amsterdam School masterpieces that are sure to catch a swing-era lover’s eye. Discover a different side of Amsterdam on our ALX city tour with our very own Matilde! We will send you more information to sign up soon.

Amsterdam Noord by Bike - Friday Sept 13th at 14h

A free ferry ride away from Central Station you find yet another side of Amsterdam. The North boasts the best of contrasting worlds: vast green expanses and charming little villages plus some of the city's most cutting-edge architecture, reinvented industrial harbour area, experimental sustainable hubs and cool waterside hangouts. Ellen runs a dance school up north and takes you on a bike trip to explore the area (BYO bike).

Tea Dance - Saturday Sept 14th at 15h30

We are thrilled to announce our venue for Saturday afternoon: The Muziekgebouw will welcome us for a Teadance Saturday afternoon. Come dance and enjoy its gorgeous views, stunning atmosphere, and pristine floors.

Local living room sessions
Saturday Sept 14th starting at 13h

At night, you’re dancing from the first song of the set to the last, and you can’t find time to talk? We know the problem! And we believe food and drinks work miracles in making new friends. So join one of our four lovely hosts in their homes and let them introduce you to some Dutch favorites: local beer, jenever (Dutch gin), and appeltaart. Have a bite, a sip, and a chat!

Keep an eye out to sign up for one of the living rooms!

Swing on a boat
Sunday Sept 15th at 13h 

About 25% of Amsterdam is water, so why not make sure to dance on there as well? On Sunday afternoon we will be swinging on a boat with our very own local band the Ninth Bar. This band consists for 60% of dancers. That is how they know exactly what we like. We would love for you to join us on this picturesque swingin’ cruise over "het IJ".

'Surprisingly familiar swing jazz'

The Ninth Bar is an Amsterdam based Swing Jazz band. They currently play throughout the Netherlands at swing dancing parties and festivals. The band started a journey when two swing dancers met at a Lindy Hop event. In time they founded a family of like-minded musicians. Due to their experience on the dancefloor, they are aware of what a dancing audience needs, yet they play with a twist. This means: even if you do not dance the Lindy Hop, Charleston or Blues, they will definitely make you tap your feet and snap your fingers.

And dancing is what we’re in town for. We’ve scored stunning venues, swinging bands, and the finest floors for your delight. There will be three long nights of dancing (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) with a different band and DJ line-up every night. The talk around town is that there may even be a speakeasy-style Thursday pre-party. Here’s a glimpse of the talent we’ll be seeing:

We start the weekend casual with a nice get together. Orange Moon brings you 1920’s vibes in 2019. Jazz vocalist Bahghi Yemane surrounds herself with Amsterdam’s finest international musicians. It is not an exaggeration to say the Amsterdam Lindy Scene  has fallen head over heels in love with Bahghi and her wonderful voice. They look good, they’ve got style, they bring the best swing, and have a lot of fun while playing. 

ALX choreo before the party starts

Nothing brings people together like dancing, that’s why the night starts with a class on the ALX-Choreo to the fitting song ‘With Thee I Sing’. The one and only choreographer Earanee will teach you the steps so you can join in whenever this song is played during the weekend.   

Dr Bernard and the Swing Cats

Dr Bernard and the Swing Cats is an ensemble by doctor (yes, really...) and clarinettist Bernard Berkhout. He has a tidy sum of Dutch jazz awards under his belt (such as the soloist prize of the North Sea Jazz festival and the Edison Grammy Award), as well as a decade of experience playing for dancers. Cherry on top: his sextet comes with a vibraphone player! With his newest ensemble he will kick off the first official night of the festival.

The Coquette Jazz Band is a young and talented swing band from Austria. The ensemble plays 1930s and 1940s danceable swing and music of the Dixieland “revival” era. They bring enthusiasm and energy to the stage, and heaps of  joy to the audience. They will play all our favourite songs, arrangements by Fats Waller, John Kirby, Bix Beiderbecke or Duke Ellington, and they might surprise you with their own arrangements.

Welcome to the Jungle! Our Sunday night venue is called Jungle, and that calls for a dress-up party. Our theme: flora & fauna of the jungle! We hope to see a big dancing crowd full of flowers, shades of green, and animal prints. And a heartfelt request: please don’t buy throwaway items for this party, but find sustainable and creative ways to address the theme. 

Our local heroes Pino & The Hotsy Totsies will make you dance tonight. We discovered this charismatic band leader during a luxurious speakeasy style party called Smokey Jazz, organised by himself. A match made in heaven. He loved learning more about playing for dancers with a great bunch of musicians. And in the meantime, he makes sure we dancers learn something about the jazz musicians.  

Bringing clothing you don’t wear anymore may sound counter-intuitive. But please, do so! There will be a Swapping Shop full of Swing Things waiting for you. Consider it environmentally-friendly, guilt-free, brownie-point-gathering shopping. Make sure your items are in good state and swing-related.

Connecting you is our mission this weekend. Last year we learned that a little competitive game works like a charm. Find the names on your bingo-card, seduce them to a dance, and cross off their name. First one with a full card? You win a prize.

20.30 - 23.30
🎉 Pre-party with Orange Moon
(band starts at 21.00)

14.00 - 15.30
Tour West / Tour North

19.30
Registration (de Balie)

20.00
Choreo class with Earanee (de Balie)

21.15
🎉 Start Party with DJ
(de Balie)

22.00
Start Dr. Bernard and his Swing Cats

3.00
End

13.00 - 15.30
Living room sessions

15.30 - 18.30
🍵 Tea Dance with DJ (Muziekgebouw, entrance water side)

20.30
Registration for Mix & Match competition

21.00
🎉 Start party /Prelims Mix & Match
(de Balie)

22.00
Start The Coquette Jazz Band

00.00
Finals Mix & Match / Performances

3.00
End

12.15 & 12.45
Ferry pickup to NDSM
(Amsterdam Central Station)

13.00 - 17.00
Boat Trip on the IJ 🚢 with The Ninth Bar

20.00
🎉 Start party with DJ (Jungle)

21.00
Start Pino & The Hotsie Totsies

00.30
The End

We don’t take tickets back, but you are permitted to transfer your ticket to someone else (in the same role). Just let us know so we can swap your names in our system.

Send us an email to let us know what you have in mind. For most tasks we probably can’t give a discount. We can give lots of love, gratitude, dances, and a drink. But we are open to hearing suggestions.

We will spread them over the web and use them for future promotion for ALX and possibly other dance events we organise. By joining the event, you agree upon the fact that we can use this footage. If you are for some reason very unhappy about a photo on the web, let us know and we will see what we can do.

You can, but if you snooze you might lose. The boat can only accommodate a limited number of people, so book your spot sooner rather than later.

We aim to have a good balance of dance roles at ALX. However, we also aim not to have a waitlist for followers, so we encourage leads to register early, and switch dancers to register as such.

In the registration form, we ask you if you need or can provide hosting. There is no guarantee that we will find you a host, but we will do our best to connect you to locals.

We will not pass your contact information on to any third parties.

Sure! You can add multiple passes to your cart.

It means that you actively enjoy both leading and following. We see that quite some people like to switch between the traditional roles, and we don’t want to force people to choose during their registration.

Check out the awesome Mix & Switch Finals from our friends at Ceuvel Swing Camp!

If you want to transfer your ticket to someone else, this is how it works:

• Step 1: email us a confirmation mail and add the buyer in the cc.
• Step 2: e-mail your ticket to the buyer.
• Step 3: at the registration desk the buyer will mention his/her own name and the seller's name.