Frequently Asked
Questions

What is a lindy exchange?

A Lindy Exchange is a gathering organised by a swing dance scene in one city for a weekend to invite people to dance and explore the city together. In Cambridge our exchange is small and friendly; we hope that by the end not only will you be danced out and have eaten a huge pile of cake, but also that you will have made a whole bunch of new friends.​

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Who can be involved?

Anyone who wants! The exchange is for all swing dancers, wherever you're from, however long you've been dancing for.

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What's the theme?

"Welcome to Hollywood". The theme will inspire some of the activities we will plan for the weekend, and also your outfit if you wish to dress up for the Saturday night social. But don't worry if costumes aren't your thing - it's not compulsory!

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Can someone host me?

One of the joys of the exchange is meeting new people! "Hosting" is when dancers from out of the city stay with local dancers. If you're local to Cambridge and you've a spare bed, sofa or bit of floor space, why not make a dancer's day by letting them stay with you? If you're looking for hosting or can provide it, please post in the Facebook event.

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How do I book?

Bookings open on the 1st August at 7 pm. Tickets cost £100, plus £15 for an optional t-shirt. This event typically sells out.

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Volunteering

CLX would not happen without our wonderful volunteers and we are eternally grateful for them for helping out. If you could lend us a little time over the weekend please tell us on the booking form or if you've already registered, contact us.

 

Volunteering may involve checking in guests on the door, refilling the water, decorating the hall or helping us pack down after a full on night of dancing. Unfortunately we cannot give free passes to CLX in exchange for doing lots of volunteering; this allows us to keep the costs down for everyone and we would rather lots of people gave an hour or two, rather than have guests working all the time and not having fun dancing!​​

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Where are the venues?

Add our custom Google map for the locations of the venues and nearby bicycle and car parking, or see the links on the timetable.

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How do I get there?

See our Google map for the nearest car parking and bicycle parking to the venues. There's some more details on transport below:

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Bikes

Cambridge is largely flat, making bikes a popular way of getting around. Check our map for the nearest cycle parking to each venue, which is typically right outside. Don't forget your bike lights in the evenings.

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The Voi rental bikes and e-scooters are available for hire in various locations. You'll need to pre-register with a driving licence for the scooters.

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Buses

The Universal (U) bus runs between Eddington and the main Cambridge railway station via the town centre. The last bus back from Eddington to town is about 22:30 so won't get you back after the evening dances. Their timetable has full details. 

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Eddington is also served by the buses for the nearby Park and Ride site at Madingley. They run until about 20:30, see their timetable for details.

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Cars

Central Cambridge isn't particularly car friendly but the main dancing venue is out the city centre, and has plentiful car parking nearby. Details:

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Storey's Field Centre (Friday night, Saturday night, Saturday parkrun, Sunday tea dance):

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• The huge Madingley Road Park and Ride car park is free for up to 18 hours.

  • It's about a 7 minute walk to the Storey's Field Centre if you park at the northeast end of the car park where a footpath lets you out towards Eddington. Head north on the footpath, crossing Turing Way where it turns sharply left, to continue north on Eddington Avenue. The Centre is on your right after you pass Sainsburys and Dulcedo on your left.

• There's information on parking in Eddington itself on their site. Through traffic on Eddington Avenue is blocked by rising bollards until 7 pm on Friday, but they don't work weekends!

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St Paul's Church (Saturday daytime):

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• The Queen Anne Terrace multi-storey is the nearest off-street parking. You can check whether spaces are available and check prices. Note that you will pay more per hour for your whole stay if you arrive between 11 am and 1 pm.

  • It's a 7 minute walk to the church: turn left out of the car park and walk down to the big crossroads with the Catholic church on the corner. Turn left onto Hills Road. The church will be on your left immediately after the second road on your left (St Paul's Road).

• On St Paul's Road itself, there are paid parking spaces on the road, with a maximum of 4 hours stay before 5 pm.

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Marleigh Community Centre (Saturday afterparty):

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• Park for free in the Newmarket Road Park and Ride and walk through to the Centre on the passageway by the roundabout at the car park entrance (see our map). The Centre is in roughtly in the middle of the left hand side of the square after you leave the passageway.

  • Please don't park in Marleigh itself as any late night noise may cause complaints which will make it difficult to continue to use the venue (and there isn't much parking there anyway).

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The Old Spring (Sunday pub):

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• The pub has a small car park for customers. Note that you must get a "ticket" for this by entering your vehicle registration number into one of the tablets inside the pub, or you risk a fine. Alternatively, the streets around Ferry Path may have spaces available and are free on Sundays.

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Who are the organisers?

The Cambridge Lindy Exchange is run by Cambridge Swing Dance CIC, a not-for-profit company which is run by volunteers.  

 

Please get in touch with us if you have any questions. We'll run a WhatsApp group for the event to help attendees connect with each other, look out for the link in your email or the QR code on the front desk. You can also join the Facebook event for CLX and ask us any questions on Facebook. 

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See our Safer Spaces Policy for how to identify our Safety Secretaries and report any problems.