Extraordinary!
Your survival guide
Here is the definitive guide to the Congress experience: explaining what to expect, what to bring and how to get the most out of the biggest bellydance event in Europe.
The Resort
A congress brochure featuring a map of the site and useful information will be available at registration. There are several different spaces for workshops, shows & haflas within the site but everything is within easy walking distance.
Food
Within Butlins there is a selection of restaurants, cafés and bars, plus a separate self-service restaurant for those staying half board. There is a mini-supermarket onsite (not open 24 hours) that sells most basics. There's also a supermarket in the town centre, approximately 10 minutes walk from the resort. If you go for the self-catering option you may want to bring your specialist teabags, but can buy enough normal stuff onsite that you’ll never go hungry.
Other Facilities
Butlins has two cash machines (plus a cash back service is available in the shops), a laundrette, a hire shop (for towels, shower attachments, electrical adaptors and mobile phone chargers) and a medical centre able to deal with minor injuries. There is no provision for currency exchange at Butlins, however, there are travel agencies, banks and building societies and the main post office in the town centre close to the resort.
Workshops & Seminars
There is no need to book a workshop in advance. You may attend as many workshops as you can physically manage, but make sure you leave yourself with enough energy to dance after the show. We recommend no more than 3 workshops or seminars each day. The limits on numbers in the workshops will be according to how many each room can hold, so please arrive early for them.
Oriental Lounge
Next to the bazaar we will have our private Oriental Lounge where you can
meet friends over coffee and relax or watch videos of the stars.
What else is there to do?
If you don’t want to dance all weekend you can enjoy a walk along the beach, which is right next to the resort, or make use of all the other facilities such as the swimming pool, bowling alley, pool tables, bars & cafes and many more activities.
Click here to see what Butlins has to offer.
Arriving and leaving
The event runs from Friday afternoon until Sunday night. Some people are able to take Friday off work and get there for a selection of workshops on Friday afternoon, others will arrive in time for the show on Friday night. Registration starts at 4pm on Friday. The weekend includes accommodation on Sunday night and many people will take Monday off work so that they can dance ‘till late after the show on Sunday night.
What to Bring
1) A pair of dance shoes – floors vary in different rooms and some are carpeted. Good shoes will protect your feet.
2) Class gear. If you intend to do 3 workshops in a day you will find it easier to learn in a crop top, leotard or T-shirt than a bra top.
3) A non-jangly hip belt. Some workshops will be big and if everyone wears their noisiest hipscarf we will all go deaf! Of course other workshops will be a lot smaller, but please have pity on the ears of the teachers.
4) A water bottle (or you can buy one onsite).
Top Tips
DON'T take off your wristband. They are designed to survive the shower and sweating for hours on the dancefloor, if your wristband comes off you must go to the Congress information desk. You will be charged a fee for a replacement.
Turn up a little early for the shows if you want a seat at the front.
Give us your feedback. There will be feedback forms available and even if you don't get a chance to fill one out, emailing us at info@bellydancecongress.com after the event will make sure your views are heard. Whether you really enjoyed something or have some constructive criticism to offer, feedback is valuable and helps to ensure that next year's event is even better.
Be realistic about your own dancing level when deciding on which workshops to attend. It's fine to stretch yourself a bit, but the teachers will not slow a workshop down to accommodate students who cannot keep up.