Swing dancing, Balboa, and Lindy Hop in Los Angeles and Orange County
The LA/Orange County area has some of the best swing dance events in the country and the world! I list all of the recurring ones here. Read the descriptions to see which ones have a lot of people to dance with and which ones you should bring your own partner to. Check the Lindy Map to find an event close to you.
Clifton’s Cafeteria is a cafeteria, vintage bar, and kitschy “natural history museum” all rolled into one amazing multi-level building. It’s one of the last remaining vestiges of golden-age Los Angeles charm.
The Barkley is a neighborhood restaurant in South Pasadena which recently started having some very good bands to Swing dance to. Some people remarked that it feels kind of like a “slightly upscale Joe’s Bar”, which is a pretty good…
There is Swing dancing inside the park every Saturday night at Fantasy Faire! Sometimes there is dancing at Tomorrowland Terrace as well. Here’s a look at the crowd: There is a dedicated group of Swing dancing regulars with season passes that…
Casa Del Mar is an upscale beachfront hotel in Santa Monica. They have a beautiful vintage lobby which sometimes hosts bands like Barbara Morrison and Leftover Cuties. There is no dance floor, but management doesn’t seem to mind people dancing…
Neighborhood bar with an emphasis on live music, including roots, blues, swinging jazz, country, Americana. Happy Feet Mondays Monday features mostly faster Bal / Shag music from the 20’s and 30’s. Lorenzo’s “Happy Feet Mondays” has some of the best…
This is the largest and most popular weekly Swing dance event in Southern California (and perhaps the whole country?). It is the place to go swing dancing on Thursday nights. People drive from as far away as San Diego and Santa…
The Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association (PBDA) is a large, friendly, non-intimidating, family-run weekly event that has been going on for years. There are plenty of partners of varying skill levels. The people here are novice to intermediate dancers with a…
Third Saturday Swing is Back is one of the best places to find lots of Swing dance partners of all levels. You definitely don’t need to bring a partner. Ben and Sheri are prominent local dancers/instructors/competitors run this popular event with…
The Cicada Club in downtown LA is one of my favorite vintage swing dance venues. You really feel like you’re going back in time when you enter this amazing Art Deco space, which has been featured on many movies and TV…
This is one of the most incredible spaces in LA. Built in a renovated 1910’s era power generator station, The Edison has an Steampunk feel that transports you back to a time before fluorescent lights. They have DJ’d swing music…
The Fairfax Farmer’s Market occasionally has danceable bands during the summer. The bands usually play somewhere in the Farmer’s market dining area. There is sometimes a small dance floor. The ambiance is great. Bring a partner, though, because these events are often…
Camp Hollywood is the biggest and best annual Swing dance event in Southern California. Dancers and instructors come from around the world to attend this celebration of Swing dancing, Balboa, Blues, and more. The popularity of Camp Hollywood has not diminished over time,…
This is one of the few weekly options for Swing dancing on the West side of L.A. Rusty’s has been going on since 1998 and always features live music. Crowd is friendly with very wide range of age groups…
UCLA has a ballroom dance club that holds swing dances about once per quarter, usually with a live band, Swing Inc. These usually have mostly students and staff of UCLA, with a few West Side locals. Go if you’re nearby…
If you are looking for a wide variety of fun music to dance to, then this is the place for you. Big band, rock and roll, jump blues and of course some Frank, Dean and Louis. Lindy Hop Stop has…
Atomic Ballroom Irvine is one of the cornerstone swing dance venues of Orange County! This venue is attended by dancers of a variety of skill levels. On Tuesdays, there’s the Tuesday Night Sock Hope plus the Balboa Room, with lessons…
Almost every week, there are danceable bands that play outside at Downtown Disney. I will list “Downtown Disney” (which is outside the park and doesn’t require admission) separately from “Disney Fantasy Faire” (which is inside the park and requires admission) in…
This is a popular Orange County venue usually featuring DJ’d music, but they sometimes have live bands. If you want to go dancing in Orange County on a Wednesday night, this is the place to be. Plenty of partners available,…
If you are into Blues dancing, this monthly event in Pasadena the place to be at. As a swing dancer primarily, I was skeptical about Blues because I tend to like fast music, but the DJ’s here play some great…