Slide Into It
Add flow, texture, and smoothness to everything you dance.
Toronto Lindy Hop presents
World Lindy Hop Day 2026
Toronto is throwing one of the biggest Lindy Hop celebrations of the year — and you are invited.
First 40 Full Bundle registrants receive a WLHD shoe bag ◆ From $35 through April 30
A Full Day Worth Showing Up For
Live Music All Night
Martin Loomer's Strayhorns
Three sets of live jazz · 8:00 PM to close · Cecil Community Centre
Martin Loomer is a guitarist, arranger, and big band swing historian who has led Toronto's finest bands for 30+ years — from Jim Galloway's Wee Big Band to the Glenn Miller Tribute. He brings the neglected repertoire of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Jimmie Lunceford back to life, played live with full commitment.
"Nothing matches the impact of hearing these pieces played live once again."
— Martin Loomer
Stretch Goal — Register by April 30
Help us bring the full big band
80.13%
there
Hit our registration target and we upgrade from the Strayhorns to the full Orange Devils. More musicians. More brass. More band.
Band-o-meter
Strayhorns
✦ Orange Devils
Three Daytime Workshops
Movement, tradition, and culture — three workshops covering slides, the Shim Sham, and the spirit of Lindy Hop itself.
Beginner-Friendly Evening
The evening opens with a beginner-friendly swing lesson. No experience, no partner needed — just bring yourself and a willingness to move.
Performances & Special Moments
Expect performances throughout the evening — moments that remind you why this dance has lasted a hundred years. The floor will be electric.
Toronto Community Energy
Whether you're a longtime regular or stepping onto a Lindy Hop floor for the first time, you'll find a welcoming, joyful community ready to dance with you.
A Global Annual Celebration
World Lindy Hop Day honours Frankie Manning's birthday — one of the originators of Lindy Hop. Toronto dances alongside communities in Harlem, London, Paris, Tokyo, and hundreds of cities worldwide.
Daytime Workshops
Saturday, May 23 · 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
St. Barnabas, Upper Hall · 175 Hampton Ave
Shim Sham: From Tap to Swing
The whole room. The whole tradition. Together.
Let the Spirit of Lindy Hop Move You
Less technique. More connection to what this dance really is.
Early Bird pricing ends soon — lock in your spot before tiers go up.
Get TicketsTickets & Pricing
Price tiers increase as the date approaches. Lock in the best rate now. First 40 Full Bundle registrants receive a WLHD shoe bag.
First 40 Full Bundle registrants receive a limited WLHD shoe bag. Once they're gone, they're gone.
Early Bird — Now Through April 30
Tier 1
Through April 30, 2026
- Dance Only $35
- Single Workshop $35
- All Workshops Bundle $85
- Full WLHD Experience Bundle Shoe Bag $100
Prices increase after April 30 — May 1 through 22: Dance or single Workshop $40, All Workshops $100, Full Bundle $125. Day of (May 23): $45 / $45 / $115 / $150.
No refunds · Passes transferable by email request to torontolindyhop@gmail.com
Full Schedule
Saturday, May 23, 2026
Workshop Day
St. Barnabas, Upper Hall · 175 Hampton Ave (near Danforth & Chester)
- 12:00 PM Doors Open
- 12:10 – 1:25 PM Workshop 1 — Slide Into It
- 1:35 – 2:50 PM Workshop 2 — Shim Sham: From Tap to Swing
- 3:00 – 4:15 PM Workshop 3 — Let the Spirit of Lindy Hop Move You
Evening Dance
Cecil Community Centre · 58 Cecil St. (near College & Spadina)
- 6:30 PM Doors Open
- 7:00 – 8:00 PM Beginner-Friendly Swing Dance Lesson
- 8:00 – 9:00 PM ♫ Live Band Set 1 — Martin Loomer's Strayhorns
- 9:00 – 9:20 PM DJ Break 1
- 9:20 – 10:20 PM ♫ Live Band Set 2 — Martin Loomer's Strayhorns
- 10:20 – 10:40 PM DJ Break 2
- 10:40 – 11:40 PM ♫ Live Band Set 3 — Martin Loomer's Strayhorns
- 11:40 PM – Midnight DJ Break 3 — Close of Night
The Venues
Evening Dance
Cecil Community Centre
58 Cecil St. · Near College & Spadina
Toronto's home for social dance since the 1960s. Intimate hardwood floor, warm acoustics, and the energy of decades of swing nights.
Evening Dance · 6:30 PM – Midnight
Beginner lesson · Live band · Performances · Social dancing
TTC: College Station or Spadina Station
Daytime Workshops
St. Barnabas, Upper Hall
175 Hampton Ave · Near Danforth & Chester
Spacious upper hall with sprung hardwood floor. Bright, airy, and purpose-built for movement.
Daytime Workshops · 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Three workshops · All levels
TTC: Chester Station (Bloor-Danforth line)
Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all. The evening opens with a beginner-friendly swing dance lesson designed for people who've never danced a step. You'll be on the floor before the band even starts.
Come as you are. Lindy Hop is a social dance — partners rotate, strangers become friends, and nobody sits on the sideline for long. Solo is completely normal.
Yes — you can pick exactly what works for you. The evening dance, a single workshop, all three workshops, or the Full WLHD Experience Bundle that brings the whole day together. Details are in the Tickets & Pricing section above.
The first 40 people to register for the Full WLHD Experience Bundle receive a limited WLHD shoe bag as a thank-you for committing early. Once those 40 spots are filled, that's it — no exceptions, no rain checks.
Wear what makes you feel good and ready to move. Many guests love dressing up — the occasion more than justifies it. Dance shoes are wonderful if you have them, but not required. The floor will be lively.
Tickets are non-refundable, but passes can be transferred to another person for the 2026 event. Just email torontolindyhop@gmail.com and we'll get it sorted.
World Lindy Hop Day is celebrated each year on May 26th — the birthday of Frankie Manning, one of the great originators of Lindy Hop. Born in 1914, Manning grew up dancing at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, where Lindy Hop was born and flourished from 1926 to 1958. The Savoy was unlike any ballroom of its era — integrated, joyful, and electric — and the dancing that happened there changed music and movement forever. Manning went on to choreograph for Broadway and Hollywood, and spent his later years teaching the dance to a new generation around the world. He passed away in 2009, just days before his 95th birthday.
Toronto's celebration falls on May 23 — the Saturday nearest to May 26 — so the whole community can come together and dance, the way Frankie Manning would have wanted.
About Toronto Lindy Hop
Toronto Lindy Hop is the city's home for swing dancing. World Lindy Hop Day is one of our most important annual celebrations — and we're proud to host it as part of a global tradition that honours Frankie Manning and the enduring spirit of the dance.
About Martin Loomer
After studying jazz performance at York University in the 1970s, Martin Loomer became the guitarist and arranger for the seminal Toronto jump band Shox Johnson & His Jivebombers. From there he was recruited by world-famous saxophonist Jim Galloway to both recreate the jazz classics of the 1930s and play acoustic rhythm guitar in the tradition of Count Basie's Freddie Green. Founding Jim Galloway's Wee Big Band, Martin dedicated much of the next 30+ years to this music, assuming leadership of the band with Jim's passing in 2014.
After further developing his arranging and playing with the Tom DeMoraes Swing Orchestra and subsequently with the Canadian Tribute to Glenn Miller for fifteen years, Martin has returned to his love of the great Black bands of the 1930s and their neglected repertoire with his big band the Orange Devils.
"I believe strongly that this music is worthy of continued performance, and that nothing matches the impact of hearing these pieces played live once again. The fact that I am able to attract such top-flight musicians to play this music attests both to the greatness of the original compositions, and to the sheer fun musicians enjoy in playing them."
— Martin Loomer
Over the past ten years the Orange Devils have developed a devoted following in both the jazz and swing dance communities in Toronto through exciting performances of a high standard and the engaging, articulate leadership of Martin Loomer.
The floor opens May 23.
Come dance.
Buy Tickets
Saturday, May 23, 2026 · Cecil Community Centre · Workshops from noon
No refunds · Passes transferable · Email torontolindyhop@gmail.com