Yorkshire Dad Dancing Championship Arrives in Bridlington

Bridlington is set to host the inaugural Yorkshire edition of DadFest this weekend, a camping festival specifically designed for dads, father figures, and their children.

A key highlight of the event is the hotly contested National Dad Dancing Championship, a competition where dads will showcase their moves on the dance floor.

Organiser Ian Blackwell, coordinator of The Dads Network and founder of DadFest says the competition is a bit of fun.

"In Devon , we have the World Dad Dancing Championships. We've held them there for the last 11 years. And what we do at the dad fests around the country is we have a dad dancing competition.

And if you win in Yorkshire, you can go forwards down to Devon to the world Dad dancing Championships in September. So some really, cheesy tunes. Get the dads up. And they can show us there.

The best moves. We will select a few children who will judge all the dads. The children will decide who is the Yorkshire dad dancing champion and, they get a trophy and bragging rights, they can tell all their mates that they're the local champ"

Ian says that the competition involves dads dancing to a variety of tunes, not just one style with a critical selection of Judges, who are selected children, looking for different moves and styles.

"We play a whole range of different tunes. So you've gotta show your inner Beyonce, you're inner Dua Lipa, you're inner ZZ top, your inner John Travolta. 

So you've gotta show different moves and I think different styles is always good, so you're gonna show a range. So it is not about just standing there doing a, pointing at the ceiling or washing the dishes or big fish, little fish.

You have to show us a bit of variety and actually the ones who win. 

Usually the fittest ones because it can go on for quite some time. So quite a few just collapse. We do have first aiders on site, so we should be okay."

The winner will be crowned the Yorkshire Dad Dancing Champion receiving a trophy and bragging rights. The victor will also earn an invite to the World Dad Dancing Championships held in Devon in September.

Ian says that DadFest itself is a small, safe, and fun festival focused on outdoor activities, with the simple purpose for dads and father figures to have fun with their children. 

"The purpose is for dads and father figures to have fun with their children. It's as simple as that. 

It's just a really nice, community festival for all father figures children all ages. So it can come together over the weekend and take part in some really fun activities that are all included in the ticket price, hang out together, bond with the children, make friends, play out learn some new skills, archery, for example.

And really just have a bit of time particularly outdoors most of what we do is outdoor base so it gets everybody off the screen for a few hours."

This marks the first time the event has come to Yorkshire, taking place at South Cliff Holiday Park in Bridlington.

All activities and camping over the weekend are included in the ticket price. The festival offers a range of events such as archery, storytelling, bat walks, a kids disco, a woodland trail, music workshops, star-gazing, and various beach games. Access to facilities at the site is included, with activities like high ropes (specifically The Edge: Aerial Adventure), trampolines, and crazy golf also available. Time at the beach allows for activities like fossil hunts and paddling.

The event is kept intentionally small, typically attracting 100 to 150 people and never exceeding 200. This size is preferred to avoid queues and maintain a sense of festival feel, allowing attendees to make friends. Mr Blackwell noted that the numbers for the Bridlington event have been "really good".

The event is inclusive and open to all father figures, regardless of whether they are a stepdad, granddad, uncle, new dad, old dad, or from different backgrounds. Safety is prioritised, with all activities run by qualified, experienced, and insured leaders, and risk assessments in place. First aiders are also on site.

Councillor Nick Coultish, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, expressed pleasure in partnering with The Dads Network CIC to bring the festival to the area. He highlighted that South Cliff Holiday Park, being council-owned and operated, offers plenty to do on-site and is also close to the historic seaside town of Bridlington for further exploration. The council supports the event as it aligns with their objectives to help local families spend quality time together, meet new people, create friendships, and encourage adults and children to try new things.

Ian says that the hope is to build upon this weekend in Bridlington, establishing the location as a regular annual event for dads and their children, potentially attracting attendees from across the region.

"What we'd love to do is build on this weekend in Bridlignton 'cause it's such a fantastic site and it's so close to the beach. So we've got that sort of added opportunity to go down to the beach and play games and do fossil hunts and paddle and things like that. 

So what we've done elsewhere is just really establish ourselves in a location and we come back regularly, year after year.

People know about us, it's in the calendar, they tell their friends and we just really build on that really. And yeah, it's open to any dad wherever they live. So. We'll get dads travelling up from, Leeds and down from Middlesbrough and all over to come to this the plan is that it becomes, as I say, part of a sort of regular annual thing for dads and their children.

And as I say, it is for all father figures. So whether you are a stepdad or a granddad or uncle a new dad or an old dad from different backgrounds were really very inclusive. And we'd, we'd love to see a whole variety of father figures there with their children."

There is more information about DadFest at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thedadsnetworkcic/1596779