Preparing to Attend – 2023

How to Get There

Travel and Lodging

Our sister website for the USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships has wonderful information about travelling by car, plane, or rail for those traveling to the event. You can find information about parking there. It also has information about the hotel and room block.

Important: If you stay to the east of St. Louis, remember that the venue sits downtown near a river, so access is going to be by bridge. If accidents occur, certain bridges may slow to a crawl. Check Google maps 30 minutes before you leave and make sure your planned route is going to be the right one to take.

Where to stay

There are no host teams available this year. We hope to have host teams again next year!

A frequently overlooked option by most teams is the hotel of the venue itself. It is a wonderful feeling to get an extra hour of sleep because you don’t have to travel 30 minutes each way. It’s also nice to get to shower or nap during the day in the comfort of your own room. The venue costs $159 (plus taxes) per night with a room deal. Rollaway beds may be available and host an extra person, so the total cost can be $35 (plus taxes) per person. You can check out the details for the room block and see if it would be a fit. Staying at the venue supports the event and keeps it so we can keep offering what we do, so if it’s a ‘close call’, we hope you’ll give this a look!

If you are looking for something cheap, a google search for hotels will yield plenty of options within close distance of the venue. Don’t forget to select any amenities important to you, such as free parking or free breakfast.

What to Do When You Arrive

Check In

You should check in Friday night if you can. We expect to start bright and early on Saturday. If you want a full rundown of check-in, check out the information on the USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships’ Check-In Process page!

Otherwise, check-in will open at least 60 minutes before the first heats on Saturday morning.

Friday Night

This year there will be a social dance on Friday evening. This will be for around 2 hours between the daytime and evening session.  Afterwards, you can join us for the night show, which will feature fabulous open level dancers from around the country. Spectating as a competitor is free.

During the Day – At the Competition

Have fun competing! As a friendly reminder, you should be prepared to be On Deck at least 30 minutes before your heat starts.

Seminars will be available at times many of you are not dancing. We plan for at least 8 of them. Subjects and lecturers are TBD – we’ll announce them as soon as possible!

Don’t forget to hydrate and eat food. There is no lack of restaurant options within walking distance of the hotel at every price range. Most importantly, there are several excellent ice cream vendors!  Feel free to order it as delivery or just go walk outside to get it. There is also a restaurant inside the hotel, but it may be a little out of your price range.

When you aren’t dancing, you are welcome (read: encouraged) to watch and cheer on the other dancers. Pro tip: when you cheer for Senior dancers, about 90% of them remember you cheering and remember to cheer for you specifically.

Team Matches & Night show – The first team match will be during Saturday evening, as is tradition. Hop in, watch the awesome dancing, have a blast dancing yourself. The second team match will be at the end of Sunday – a nice way to end on a high note.

Things to Do Besides Compete

The hotel is ideally located – it’s walking distance to the Arch, and right in the heart of downtown. You can find things to do via the official St. Louis Tourism page!