FAQs
Buying Tickets • Workshops
On the Weekend • Miscellaneous
WHAT IS HULLABALOO?
Hullabaloo is Perth’s longest-running swing dance festival, and is proudly presented by the Perth Swing Dance Society. Established in 2003, Hullabaloo is a multi-day festival celebrating the vibrant swing dancing scene in Perth. We aim to showcase the unique venues, passionate dancers, and outstanding musicians that make our local scene so special.
WHEN AND WHERE IS IT?
Hullabaloo 2025 will take place over ANZAC weekend (Thursday 24th to Monday 28th April). The event is held biennially in Boorloo Perth, Western Australia. You can check out this map or our Venues page to see where this year’s events will be taking place.
WHAT KIND OF EVENTS ARE THERE?
This year’s Hullabaloo includes four nights of social dancing (Thursday – Sunday), two late nights (Friday and Saturday), two full days of workshops (Saturday and Sunday), and a masterclass for advanced dancers (Monday). Check out our Events page for the full programme!
WHO ARE THE TEACHERS?
We’re flying in two incredible teaching duos to share their wisdom at Hullabaloo this year: Pamela Gaizutyte and Tadas Vasiliauskas from Lithuania, and Ramona Staffeld and Nathan Bugh from the US/Australia. Learn more about them on our Teachers page.
IS HULLABALOO JUST FOR LINDY HOPPERS?
Hullabaloo is a celebration of all things swing! Social events will feature a wide range of swing music, including big band, R&B, slow blues, and fast swing, and all styles of swing dance (including balboa, blues, solo and shag) are welcome. Workshops are chiefly designed for dancers of Lindy Hop.
Buying Tickets
WHEN WILL TICKETS BE AVAILABLE?
Great question! Our tickets will be released in two waves.
- First wave: A limited number of passes will be released on Tuesday 28 Jan at 9pm AWST (12am AEDT), closing the next day at 9pm AWST (12am AEDT).
- Second wave: The rest of the passes and any remaining tickets will go on sale on Friday 31 Jan at 1pm AWST (4pm AEDT).
Travelling to Perth from elsewhere? Check what times these are for you: first wave, second wave.
WHAT TYPE OF TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE?
Tickets can be purchased within pre-bundled passes or individually. Head on over to our Tickets page for more information!
DO I NEED A DANCE PARTNER TO BUY TICKETS/ATTEND?
Not at all! You are welcome to attend any and all of our events solo. Perth’s swing scene is known for its openness, warmth, and inclusivity, so we strongly encourage you to find someone, strike up a convo, and/or ask them to dance when you arrive!
If you’re travelling to Perth alone, or if this is your first time attending Hullabaloo, let us know when prompted at the end of your ticket checkout – we’ll do what we can to connect you with new Hulla friends!
WHY CAN’T I SEE THE MUSTANG SOCIAL ON HUMANITIX?
Our Friday night social Stompin’ & Jumpin’ at the Mustang Bar is a public event. Admission to the Mustang Bar is managed by the venue, so we have not included it in the Hullabaloo passes. Make sure you add the Mustang social to your own calendar on Friday 25 April, as you won’t want to miss out on taking to the dance floor at this Perth institution!
DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
Afterpay is available as a payment option in the Humanitix checkout.
WHY AM I BEING CHARGED A BOOKING FEE ON HUMANITIX?
All paid transactions on Humanitix incur fees that the platform must cover (such as card processing fees, taxes, infrastructure, etc.) to help facilitate that transaction. But once those fees are covered, Humanitix donates 100% of profits from booking fees to charities for disadvantaged kids. You can read more about the company and their mission here.
THE TICKETS ARE ALL SOLD OUT! WHAT DO I DO?
Never fear! You can sign up for a waitlist for any events or passes that have sold out using Humanitix – simply press the “Join Waitlist +” button. That way, we’ll have your information on-file and can get in touch if any other tickets become available.
CAN I RESELL MY TICKET/S TO SOMEONE ELSE IF I CAN NO LONGER ATTEND?
Yes – and you can manage it all within Humanitix! Tickets can be resold either via public resale (available to anyone) or private resale (if you’d like to send someone specific the link to buy it). Check out this guide for more information.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Passes must be resold as passes (ie. they can’t be split into individual events), but tickets you purchased individually (e.g. as add-ons) can be resold separately.
- You can only resell tickets for the same price you paid – no mark-ups allowed!
- If the pass you are reselling contain workshop tickets, these will retain the role/stream preference you selected when you bought them – so if you’re an Advanced Lead, your workshop tickets will remain allocated to an Advanced Lead. This helps us to keep an eye on venue capacity and role allocation.
We’ll post a link for the official resell page here after tickets go on sale.
CAN I GET A REFUND ON MY TICKETS?
All Hullabaloo ticket purchases are subject to the same Refund Policy. Refunds will only be provided for the full booking you made. You will not be able to get a refund for individual events sold in a pass.
If you cancel your booking 30 days before the start of Hullabaloo (26 March 2025), you will be eligible for a 100% refund. Until this date, you can organise a refund directly through the Humanitix platform – use the Manager Order button in your order confirmation email.
If you wish to cancel your booking after 26 March 2025, you must apply for a refund in writing to [email protected]. Your request will be subject to the following conditions:
- If you cancel your booking between 27 March 2025 and 6 April 2025 (inclusive), you will be eligible for a 50% refund.
- Any bookings cancelled after 6 April 2025 will not be eligible for a refund.
DO YOU HAVE A COVID POLICY?
Yes! Check out our Terms & Conditions here.
Workshops
DO I NEED TO SELECT MY WORKSHOP IN ADVANCE?
Yes – you will be prompted to select a workshop stream during the checkout process if you have tickets to our Saturday or Sunday workshops in your cart.
The Beginner/Intermediate stream is suitable for those who have been dancing between 1 and 4 years. The Advanced stream is for confident dancers who have been dancing for more than 5 years. Class capacity is limited, and spots will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
We ask that you please choose the class stream that most accurately describes your current dancing ability. Teachers will have final discretion on class participation, and may request you change streams if you are not yet at the level required for the planned content.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO WORKSHOPS?
• Shoes appropriate for dancing
• A reusable water bottle
• A small towel
• An extra shirt
• Snacks and a packed lunch (if you’re not interested in buying food nearby)
On the Weekend
WHERE SHOULD I STAY WHILE I’M IN PERTH?
For ease of navigation, we have contained our venues to two main hubs: Fremantle/Hilton and CBD/Northbridge. You may like to stay in either one of these areas, or somewhere in between. Trains are the swiftest mode of transportation between the Fremantle and the CBD, and you’ll then be able to bus or taxi from the train stations in Fremantle or Perth CBD to the venues.
We are also grateful to the local hotels who have kindly offered discounts on Best Available Rates (BAR) for Hulla 2025 attendees – many in close proximity to major transport hubs and Hullabaloo venues.
- Rydges Esplanade Hotel Fremantle (15% off BAR)
- QT Perth (15% off BAR)
- Alex Hotel Perth (15% off BAR)
- Rydges Perth Kings Square (15% off BAR)
- Pensione Hotel (15% off BAR)
- Novotel Perth Langley (10% off BAR)
Please check your ticket confirmation email from Humanitix for more details about how to make the most of these deals.
HOW CAN I GET TO THE EVENTS?
To minimize our environmental footprint, we encourage you to carpool with other attendees or use public transport where possible (allowing additional time for potential traffic and delays!). Information about public transport options near the venues can be found on the Venues page.
To view all train, bus, and ferry timetables and maps, visit the TransPerth website.
An important thing to note: TransPerth bus drivers only accept exact change. If you plan to use public transport, we strongly recommend buying a SmartCard for your time in Perth. TransPerth SmartCards cost $10 and can be purchased at Perth Airport at Smart Carte (Terminal 1), as well as many other retailers around the city. A full list of retailers (by suburb) can be found here.
For those travelling by car, we have also identified parking locations near each of the venues. This information can be found on the Venues page. Please take care to check the signage before leaving your car.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Think comfort and confidence! Most people wear activewear to the workshops (along with shoes appropriate for dancing), and jazz it up for our social events.
We strongly encourage you to bring a couple of extra shirts and deodorant along with you, so you can freshen up.
CAN I WEAR HEELS TO THE WORKSHOPS?
Although not strictly forbidden, we do recommend against heels for the workshops.
CAN MY CHILD ATTEND A SOCIAL EVENT?
Little dancers (up to 5yrs old) may attend social events for free, but must be supervised at all times by a paying adult. All of our events will feature loud music, so we strongly encourage your child to wear protective earmuffs or earplugs.
You might also like to check out Weekend Combo Parent pass, which can be split between two dancers. More information can be found on the Tickets page.
Be sure to check if the venue is 18+ on our Events page before attending with a young person!
IS THERE A COMPETITION?
Although Hullabaloo is primarily a social event, our programme does include a social dancing competition. This year, the Paul Verevis Mix & Match competition be held at our Saturday night social, The Joint is Jumpin’ at Fremantle Town Hall. Anyone is welcome to compete, but spots fill up quickly, so make sure you’re listening to the Saturday night announcements!
WILL I BE ABLE TO BUY BOTTLED WATER?
No single-use plastics will be sold at our events. We strongly encourage you to bring along your own reusable drink bottle, as water fountains or cisterns will be made available for you to refill your own bottles at each event.
WILL ALCOHOL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY OF THE EVENTS?
Yes. Three of our Venues are fully-licensed (Old Courthouse, Mustang Bar, and Ambassador Bar). A limited selection of alcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase at our events at Fremantle Town Hall and Perth Town Hall. Non-alcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase at these venues and events, and free water will always be available.
Miscellaneous
WHERE CAN I BUY HULLA MERCH?
We’re working on it! Hulla T-shirts and other merch will be coming soon. We’ll announce it on our socials, so make sure you’re following us on Facebook or Instagram!
I’M INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING – WHO SHOULD I TALK TO?
Amazing! Hullabaloo is organised a small team of volunteers, and we rely on the support of our wonderful community to bring our events to life. Please contact us via email with the subject line “Volunteer” to express your interest, and we’ll be in touch!
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WHILE I’M IN PERTH?
There’s plenty to do while you’re in Perth! We’d recommend checking out Perth’s beautiful beaches, or marvelling at the panoramic city views from the gardens at Kings Park. You may also like to wander around the South Perth foreshore, hop on a relaxing cruise down the Swan River, or catch a ferry across to Rottnest Island for the day. Western Australia is also renown for its wine regions, so you may like to take a short drive out to visit the Swan Valley or extend your time in WA with a few nights in the serene Margaret River. Check out the Destination Perth website for more ideas and a variety of discounts.
MY QUESTION ISN’T ANSWERED HERE!
Feel free to email [email protected] with the subject line “Hullabaloo Questions!” for more information. Also, be sure to follow Hullabaloo on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date with event announcements, updates, and photos.