Daddy Daughter Dances
When: 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, for sixth-graders and older; Thursday, Feb. 25, for grades third through fifth; and Friday, Feb. 26 for pre-kindergarten to second grade. Registration ends at 5 p.m. Feb. 19.
Where: Gainesville Civic Center Ballroom, 830 Green St. NE, Gainesville
Cost: $50 per couple for city residents and $17.50 additional sibling; $60 per couple for non-city residents and $21.50 additional siblings; $15 late fee.
More info: www.gainesville.org/special-events
Dads may prepare to dance for a couple of hours with their daughters during “A Night Under the Stars” at the Gainesville Civic Center.
The annual Daddy Daughter Dance will begin with girls in the sixth-grade and older on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 830 Green St. NE in Gainesville. Two days later, girls in the third through fifth grade can dance with their fathers on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the civic center. On Friday, Feb. 26, dads can experience an evening with their girls who are in preKindergarten to second grade.
All three dances are from 6-8:30 p.m. in the ballroom, which will be transformed for the night, complete with a DJ, dinner catered by Longstreet Cafe, dancing, raffle prizes and bonding time.
“We have a different theme each year,” said Michael Waters, program coordinator in the recreational division of Parks and Recreation. “This year the theme we came up with is ‘A Night Under the Stars.’ We wanted to give some sort of elegance to the event and bring something that would have a nice, classy feel to it.”
With it being such a popular community event, it’s important to get tickets early, Waters said.
“We usually end up serving around 500 couples throughout the three nights,” he said. “It sells out fast.”
Now in its 16th year, the event has grown tremendously.
“It started off small and then it continued to grow to where it’s this massive event now,” Waters said. “We’re just constantly trying to make sure it’s better than it was the year before.”
Tickets are $50 per couple for city residents, plus $17.50 additional sibling, and $60 for non-city residents plus $21.50 additional siblings. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19. For couples who register late, it is $15 extra per person and only if space available.
“The money that we earn from this event we try to put it back into the next year to make it even better,” Waters said.
Plus, the event becomes an annual tradition for fathers and daughters.
“If you’ve been the past couple years and you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I might skip out on this one because I’ve been before’ I would strongly suggest not to do that,” Waters said. “It’s going to be an event you don’t want to miss.”