About

A celebration of social dancing

Location

Various central Brisbane locations - visit brisbanebalboaweekend.com for details

Website

Please visit https://brisbanebalboaweekend.com/ to see the full details of the event.

Contact Event Organiser

Manifesto

We believe in creating an environment where people can be themselves and connect with others around the shared love of Swing music and dance. We believe that people have the right to be able to fully participate and feel safe without judgement. Help us build an amazing and creative event where everyone is welcome.
Brisbane Balboa Weekend acknowledges the Yuggera people and the Turrbal people as the traditional owners of Meanjin, the lands where we live, learn, work and dance. We recognise their cultures, histories, diversity, and continuing connection to the lands, water, and communities. We also pay our deepest respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the contemporary Queensland Aboriginal community, who have survived invasion and dispossession, and continue to maintain their identity, culture, and Indigenous rights.
Brisbane Balboa Weekend acknowledges that we dance historical dance styles that are from a culture that is not our own. When we dance these dances, which are rooted in and inspired by the foundations of Jazz music, we are guests in the house of Black American culture. We respect and cherish the original Black musicians who shared their amazing creativity and talent during a time when they were routinely disrespected and mistreated by the society in which they lived.

Terms & Conditions

By purchasing a ticket to Brisbane Balboa Weekend you agree to abide by our Policies and Code of Conduct, at all times, as a condition of access to the event.

Refunds, Cancellations & Transfers:

Tickets are non-transferable. Entry to Brisbane Balboa Weekend will only be granted to the person named on the ticket. If you can no longer attend or wish to cancel your booking, please refer to the following:
Refunds of multi-event passes will only be given for the full pass. Individual events will not be refunded as part of a multi-event pass.
Bookings cancelled before 31st August are eligible for a full refund (minus booking/processing fee)
Bookings cancelled from 1st September - 14th September (inclusive) are eligible for a refund of half the purchase price (minus booking/processing fee). Bookings cancelled after 14th September are not eligible for a refund. [*][**]

[*] If the event is sold out and there is a waitlist, we may be able to offer your place to the next person in line. In this case, a full refund (minus booking/processing fee) may be granted outside of the above timeframes.

[**] COVID Refunds - If you have contracted COVID, we will refund you for the portion of the event that you are unable to attend. Please email us with positive test results and your request for a partial/full refund (minus processing fees).

Parent/Shared Passes

Any multi-event pass (i.e. Full pass, Social pass) can be used as a Shared Pass. Shared Passes can be used by a maximum of 2 people. Only one pass holder may attend each ticketed event.
To obtain a Shared Pass, please purchase one multi-event pass with full details of one attendee and email us with the details of the second Shared Pass holder including: First Name, Last Name, Contact Number & Email Address.

COVID Policy

Brisbane Balboa Weekend will comply with all Queensland Public Health Directions in place at the time of the event. There are no current Directions in place (as at 1st July 2023).
If you have cold or flu symptoms or are otherwise feeling unwell, please do not attend the event. Refer to COVID Refund Policy.
While mask-wearing is not required, we support your choice to wear a mask at any time during the event.

Minors:

As Brisbane Balboa Weekend social dances are at licensed venues, we are legally restricted from having minors attend the socials without a parent or appointed guardian present. It is the responsibility of the parent of any minor to organise this prior to the event; we are not able to stand in proxy for parents. Please email to notify us of any underage attendees and the name of the guardian who will be attending each social with them.
Minors will be required to wear an identifying item (i.e., a wristband) provided by Brisbane Balboa Weekend so that licensed venues and other attendees can identify them.

Alcohol and Illegal Substances:

All of the venues at Brisbane Balboa Weekend 2023 are licensed. Please do not BYO to any of the events.
If you are behaving inappropriately as a result of intoxication, we reserve the right to remove you from the event.
Do not drink and drive. We can assist you in finding alternative arrangements.
Illegal substances or items are prohibited from any Brisbane Balboa Weekend event. This includes illicit drugs and weapons of any sort. Please familiarise yourself with the relevant Queensland laws.

Hosting:

Brisbane Balboa Weekend will not be coordinating accommodation. Attendees may post on the Brisbane Balboa Weekend Facebook or Event pages to seek hosting; however, we will not be responsible or held liable for any arrangements that are made. Please be sure to run your due diligence when seeking a host or hosting  - we recommend requesting references for both parties. 

Photos and Videos:

There be photos and videos taken at the event. We love seeing your happy dance faces! We will have roaming photographers throughout the event, and we may be videoing performances and social dancing throughout the event.

Our favourite photos and videos will be uploaded to the Brisbane Balboa Weekend Facebook and Instagram pages. They may also be used as promotional material in future.

If you don’t want to be in any of the photos or videos that we publish, no worries! We understand! To assist us in this, we ask that you identify yourself at the registration desk when you arrive - we will have a list for people who do not wish to appear in any published photos or videos. We will also have stickers that we ask you to wear. The stickers will help our photographers easily spot anyone who does not wish to be in the photos or videos when they are post-processing and ensure they are not identifiable. We're only human, so if we make a mistake, don't hesitate to contact us, and we will remove unwanted content immediately.

We’d love you to share your own photos and videos from the weekend - Tag us on Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #brisbal2023
Note: Please keep in mind that not everyone may wish to be photographed or have their image shared publicly. Try to only take photos of yourself, your friends and anyone else who actively, deliberately involves themselves in your photo.

Communications:

By purchasing a ticket you agree to receive information about the Event by email from Brisbane Balboa Weekend.

Code of Conduct & Safety

Brisbane Balboa Weekend is dedicated to providing a safe event experience for everyone involved, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, or religion. Everyone at our event (including attendees, volunteers, band members, DJs, staff and organisers) has an absolute right to feel safe and respected.

• Respect other people; their bodies, their level in dancing, their backgrounds, their clothes, their personal space. All of it. Racist, homophobic, sexist or transphobic language, sexualised, rude or violent language, or language designed to make another person feel uncomfortable or inferior will not be tolerated. Do not touch someone inappropriately or without their consent.
• You can say NO to someone at ANY time for ANY reason. Saying yes to dancers is a good way to help people feel included, but you are not obliged to say yes, and if you do say yes, you can stop the dance at any time if you feel uncomfortable. Of course, this means that no one is obliged to dance with you either, so please be as polite as is practical when you decline, and aim to make every dance you have enjoyable for both you and your partner.
• Pay attention to your partner and the dance floor. We are all sharing space, and it’s easy to get caught up in what you are doing. If there is a collision, both parties apologise. If someone has stopped dancing, stop dancing to make sure they are ok.
• Pay attention to your body. Know your limits and do not exceed them.
• Don’t do aerials, lifts, or drops on the social dance floor, leave these for jams and competitions. Also, always make sure you have consent from your partner EVERY time before you pull any of these tricks.
• Drinking alcohol is fine (unless you are a minor). Ensure that you do not get intoxicated to the point that you are unaware of any breaches of this code of conduct.
• Our venues this year are all licensed. Please respect this and do not bring your own drinks to these venues.
• We request that you refrain from wearing strongly scented deodorants or perfumes, as these can trigger allergic reactions or migraines in some people. If possible, please use low-scented or hypoallergenic deodorants. Please apply deodorant before you come to the venue, and if you need to reapply, please do so outside.
• Harassment & bullying in any form, including sexual harassment, will not be tolerated. If you are unsure of what constitutes harassment, please visit the Australian Human Rights Commission. Their page on harassment is here. The Queensland Human Rights Commission page on sexual harassment is here.

Breaches of this code may result in a range of actions. You may be warned, referred to our Code of Conduct, asked to leave, excluded from our events or police may be notified as necessary.

Need help?

You can contact any of the Brisbane Balboa Weekend Team by email, phone or in person. Find the team here https://brisbanebalboaweekend.com/contact-us/
If you are injured, feel uncomfortable or unsafe, or are experiencing or witnessing inappropriate behaviour, please let us know immediately. We will take urgent action. Your complaint will be handled with absolute seriousness and in the strictest confidence.
If you aren’t sure and you want a second opinion, please ASK for advice. If someone lets you know that they are uncomfortable about another attendee’s behaviour, please encourage them to come and talk to us, or seek their permission to come and talk to us yourself. Even if they think it is not a big deal, we want to know about it so we can be prepared to take action and prevent situations from escalating.
Don’t hesitate: we have your back.