2026 edition

I decided last minute to sign up and hop on a plane to London to go to Midland Swing. The registration was easy for leaders and could be done last minute. Day passes were also available at the door. The location is great if you travel from abroad, as it is practically at the airport, but obviously it makes it a little bit more difficult to find food or groceries and not only hotel restaurants. I found the event super welcoming for newcomers (with a zero to hero program and a lot of support in level 2): I would definetely recommend it as a first event, as the community is very welcoming and supportive and you still have a lot of kind high level dancers. If you are a workshop person, this event will offer a huge number of learning opportunities (around 15h in 3 days, between levelled workshops and all level). Social dancing in the main room starts quite late (after midnight on Friday and Saturday) but there is another room dedicated to social dancing! With this, I did not find any space problem for dancing all night long. It’s an event that offers everything: lots of workshops, lots of competitions (strictly, routines and J&J up to champions level) and social dancing until late night! Don’t forget to bring a sweater as the air conditioning is very good and it can get a bit chilly during workshops. However it stays perfectly cool even when the dance floor is full!

2026 edition

This was my first MSO; I attended for my first foray with Ben+Tara+others and a return to Paul+Coleen, Maxime+Torri, Maxence+Virginie and Leo+Fernanda, DJ team led by the legendary Justin Peterson. With three rooms, the main floor was VERY INCONSISTENT; mixed smooth + sticky panels + bouncy areas though no trip hazards. Venue hotel + adjacent accom-only hotel both have soundproofed unopenable windows due to airport runway proximity with very dry indoor A/C. Poor event hotel WiFi was disruptive at times. F&B options are hotel ADDs , McDonalds, Costa + hotel mini mart as alternatives. Outside of the usual Level enforced WS + comp + freestyle were the EDs usual Zero to Hero, line dance and Steals WS’s. Comps include Age categories + NASDE and RST division Classic Routines. The event finished with a fun ‘Winners JnJ’, an amazing spotlight mixing and pairing winners from the 14 categories. I was also thankful for the chance to train under Paul Warden’s Judge Education Training (“JET”) L1&L2 along with a whopping 23 others; 13 of us subsequently went under tutelage of the esteemed Coleen Man as our mock-head judge who organised, guided and reviewed our performance, while answering our endless questions. Was pretty worn at the end of this – the stuff is really hard work - and I made me appreciate more all that the Head Judge + scoring apparatus do for all of us at Registry events. Overall quality of dancers was very high, with a large contingent from France. Many attendees were familiar faces from my community and wider England, with a lovely dozen from Ireland and a friend from Asia, good fun reunions all around. For me, MSO is ultimately an event with a lot of breadth: a solid WCS festival surrounded by unusual WS’s, comp formats and extras. Venue constraints are similar to the other Heathrow-adjacent WSDCs like Champs, NYSF and the coming Flowstate; to their credit the ED do bring together solid staff and a substantial festival on its 17th year.

2025 edition

This was my favourite event ever. I cried on the last day because I was so emotional. I met the nicest people, it was the first time I attended so many comps and the community was top tier. So many people whom I still keep in touch with. I loved the availability of massages and acupuncture, didn't try because I was too busy with workshops but the venue was well organised. Unfortunately not a lot of options for food around the area, so it was difficult to stay healthy and not spending too much.

2025 edition

Great event, I’ve been a few times. It is at an airport, it’s not scenic, but is cost effective for running an event of this size, given the proximity to London. There is not much in the way of shops, there are a few local pubs and Deliveroo is an option too.

2025 edition

At hotel horrible food, no shops nearby, prices ridiculous. Very far if you want to see sth. Last minute scoring results.