If you are going ....
=== WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ===
Pre-Stompede Ice Cream Social
Wednesday, November 8 • 8:00 - 9:30 pm
Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience, 900 North Point St
Join Dave Hayes Mocci and friends at San Francisco's Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience, in Ghirardelli Square, 900 North Point St. F301 (NOT the Original Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop or Ghirardelli On-The-Go). An informal gathering for some great ice cream, chocolate, and camaraderie. From the Holiday Inn take MUNI #49 on Van Ness, or #19 on Polk, north to North Point (end of line).
Thursday Arrivals
This year we’ll have our Stompede registration desk open on Thursday from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at the host hotel, the Holiday Inn, at 1500 Van Ness Avenue. However, badges are not necessary for the Thursday night dance, as we can check registrants in from a list of names at entry.
Shuttle bus service from the hotel to Sundance Saloon begins at 6:00 pm, leaving approximately every 20 minutes.
Food Trucks at Sundance Saloon
Thursday, November 9 & Sunday, November 12
You don't need to worry about where to eat dinner on Thursday and Sunday! On Thursday night we'll have a truck from Izzy's Cheesesteak from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (or later if there's demand), and yes they will have a vegetarian option. Sunday night will feature our Tacos El Triunfo truck, serving terrific authentic Mexican food from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Trucks will be parked at the sidewalk at Sundance Saloon. You can bring your food inside to eat, or on the patio. (Please leave your drinks inside the club.)
Thursday After-Hours Party at Bell Tower
Thursday, November 10 • 11:00 pm - 2:00 am
1900 Polk St @ Jackson
After the dancing's done on Thursday evening, we're hosting a special After-Hours party from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am at a local bar/restaurant five blocks from the host hotel. The Bell Tower is located at 1900 Polk Street. Grab a drink at the bar and order appetizers or a full meal from the menu. (Food will be available only until midnight.)
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=== FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ===
Friday Night Dance Theme
We haven't typically had themes for our nighttime dances, but this year for the Friday night dance, we'll encourage folks to wear the oldest Stompede T-shirt they can find!
Friday and Saturday Night After-Hours Parties
The Friday and Saturday night After-Hours Parties are held in the hospitality suite, room 708, in the host hotel. Friday night is a Beach Party (think casual beachwear and Aloha shirts), and Saturday night is our Onesies Night (or substitute pajamas or underwear), so pack accordingly! The patio will be open (and hopefully warm enough to enjoy), but please try to keep your voices down (probably a futile request, but at least we tried).
Friday and Saturday Late-Night West Coast Swing
with "Steal Zone"
The late-night Friday and Saturday West Coast Swing dances start at 1:00 am Saturday and Sunday morrnings in the hotel ballroom. On both nights there will be a section of the dance floor called the "STEAL ZONE," where you are encouraged to take turns stealing each other's partners. This is often dynamic, sometimes campy, and always hilarious. The rest of the floor will be for regular open west coast swing as usual.
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=== GENERAL INFORMATION ===
Covid Policies
What a difference a year makes! Masks are optional, but still recommended. If you are going to wear a mask, high-quality masks (N95, KN95, KF94) are strongly advised. If you are feeling unwell, please do not attend. For those who care, we have excellent natural ventilation at Sundance Saloon, but less so at the hotel and the Regency. We will have some industrial-strength HEPA-13 air purifiers at our facilities, plus a large cooling unit in the hotel ballroom that brings in fresh air.
Crowd Control - Please Read!
We request all attendees to please read our information about crowd control at the Stompede. We ask of you:
- your patience;
- understand our dance floor customs;
- no bags or coats in the main ballroom;
- be thoughtful in areas with extremely limited seating;
- and more!
We also outline what we are doing to help, along with some advice for not feeling isolated among all the people.
Dancing In San Francisco
If you are visiting us from outside the local area, we encourage you to read about our style of dancing here in San Francisco, which may be different from what you are used to. We especially advise understanding our customs about sharing the dance floor, which will be more important then ever on our extra-crowded dance floors.
Event and Workshop Schedule Changes
Please check for signage near the Stompede registration desk for the inevitable event or workshop schedule changes. We will not be able to update our website information during the Stompede weekend.
Hotel
If you need to cancel your room or make any chanes to your reservation, please do that directly with the hotel. You no longer need to go through us. You also no longer need to inform us if you booked your room outside of the Stompede group rate.
No Outside Beverages
at Sundance Saloon and the Regency
Please do not bring outside beverages into Sundance Saloon or the Regency Ballroom. This includes water and water bottles. We are constrained by club policies and California law where alcohol is served. Your cooperation keeps us out of trouble and the risk of a fine or worse. Similarly, you cannot take beverages purchased at Sundance Saloon beyond the property of the club. Drinks on the patio are OK. And outside beverages at the hotel during workshops are fine. Remember, too, that our night-time events are 21 and over.
Parking, Transportation, and Getting Around
We have lots of information about parking and transportation here.
A big high-profile Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation convention will take place in San Francisco starting November 11 which will include attendance by President Biden along with 20,000 other attendees. Security zones will be set up downtown affecting traffic, public transportation, and cable cars, but they are not expected until November 14. Still, be prepared for disruptions if you travel downtown.
Photography at the Stompede
There will be photographers and videographers everywhere at the Stompede, both official and nonofficial, including a film crew making a documentary about the last Stompede. Attendance at the Stompede is generally assumed to mean you consent to having your photo taken. If you do not want your photo taken, pick up a red "no-photo" badge to wear, and we will do our best not to include you, but we are unable to make any guarantees. Photography and videography of any sort will not be allowed at the Boots Only Ball.
Pronoun Buttons
Buttons with pronoun designations will be available near the Stompede registration desk. Attendees: please take note of these buttons so you'll know the correct pronouns to use.
Restrooms at the Stompede
Hotel: We have received permission to designate the ballroom-level restrooms at the Holiday Inn as "gender-neutral with stalls" and "gender-neutral without stalls." Separate "men's" and "women's" restrooms will be located on the lower level.
Regency: There are gender-neutral restrooms in the hallway between the entry rotunda and our silent auction room. The women's restroom is off the silent auction room, and the men's room is next to our coat check.
Sundance Saloon: Restrooms are labelled Men and Women, and of course you are welcome to use whichever restroom suits you best.
Security
Please be prepared for tighter security at some of our events. In particular, the Regency Ballroom is planning to have metal detectors and bag searches. You should also always carry your ID for entry to all venues.
Volunteering
We always have volunteer positions to be filled, sometimes critical. Check out our volunteer page for more information. We always expect numerous last-minute cancellations, so please be on the lookout to jump in if you can. Once the Stompede begins, check the bulletin board at the Stompede registration desk for the latest information, as we will probably not have time to update the website.