Register Instructors Music Venues 2026 Program
Registration is Open!
June 19–21, 2026
Tickets are now available! Full weekend passes include entrance to all classes and dances. Dance passes include entry to all dances.
Registration Is Now Open!
We have full passes available which give you access to all tracked classes and all four dances.
We also have a limited number of dance passes which give you access to all four dances (but no classes).
We also have an add-on for our Strictly Contest and our Mix & Match Contest for those who want to compete.
We understand that paying for a full pass all at once can be difficult for some folks. If you’d like to set up a payment plan with us, please email us at hello@secondcityswingout.com for assistance.
If you’re interested in gifting or donating a full pass for our scholarship program, gift passes are available! You can designate who the gift is for, or we can select someone on your behalf. If you’re interested in attending on a scholarship pass, apply for a scholarship!
Follow us on social for more news and updates as we get closer to the event!
Please note: Refunds available until May 31, after that you can defer your pass to next year’s event.
Daily Schedule
-
Main Dance
Time: 8 PM–12:30 AM
Strictly Prelims: 11:15PM
Location: Irish American – Erin RoomLate Night Dance
Time: 12:30-2:30AM
Location: Forteza Fitness -
Classes
Auditions: 10:30–11:30 AM
Class 1: 11:30 AM–1 PM
Lunch Break: 1–2:30 PM
Class 2: 2:30–4 PM
Class 3: 4:15–5:15 PM
Mix & Match Prelims
Time: 5:15–6PM
Location: Irish American – Erin RoomMain Dance
Time: 8–12:30 PM
Strictly Finals: 10 PM (Top of 2nd Set)
Mix & Match Finals: 11 PM (Top of 3rd Set)Late Night
Time: 12:45–3 AM
Location: Forteza Fitness -
Classes
Class 4: 11:15–12:45 PM
Lunch Break: 12:45–2:15 PM
Class 5: 2:15–3:45 PM
Class 6: 4–5 PM
Dance
Time: 8–11 PM
Location: Forteza Fitness -
Fizz At Gallagher Way Dance
Fizz Swing Dance, a Chicago favorite, is hosting a special outdoor dance event on Monday after SCS!
Location:
Gallagher Way, 3635 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613, USATime:
Beginner-friendly lesson: 7–8PM
DJ: 8–10:30PMCost: FREE!
For more details, check out fizzswingdance.com
Class Note
Wondering which instructor pair is teaching which lesson? Looking for class titles or topics? To allow flexibility for last minute changes, we’re not including these on our schedule. This allows the instructors to cater the material to the students in the room each class. The folks we've hired to teach are professional instructors with decades of experience who will do their best to customize each class to suit the students in attendance.
Class Levels
We use class levels to create groups of students with similar knowledge and experiences to give teachers a rough idea of level expectations and hopefully have students learning with their peers—plus you can’t all fit in one room!
There will be 5 class levels this year. We’ve chosen not to provide level descriptions—they’re always relative to the students attending, there is often overlap between adjacent levels, and sometimes instructors teach the same content to multiple levels with adjustments specific to the students in the room. We hope this will help shift focus from the title of the level to learning.
Students will be placed into levels by completing a self-assessment survey with the option to participate in level evaluations on Saturday morning. Students must participate in the level evaluation in order to be eligible for the top levels.
Level Appeals
Sometimes students feel they have been placed into the wrong level. We get it—level evals are imperfect. After classes on Saturday, there will be a brief level appeals session. Students who are true outliers in their level will be moved to the appropriate level (up or down).
In order to appeal, you must attend all your Saturday classes. You must attend the appeals session. Do not appeal your level placement during level evaluations.
Most students do not end up being moved. Space is a limiting factor. There can be skill imbalances between the leaders and the followers in a level but overall leaders and followers are appropriately placed relative to their peers dancing in the same role.
Jake Sanders
Returning to Second City Swingout, Chicago favorite Jake Sanders is bringing back his Midwest All-Stars for our Friday and Saturday night dances!
A self-taught guitar and banjo player, Jake truly delved into into vintage music while working for renowned bandleader Vince Giordano in New York City. While living there he formed The Cangelosi Cards, planting a seed for the current, thriving, young, traditional jazz scene you find in New York today. He's played with many notable projects including The Fat Babies, a renowned hot jazz band playing in Chicago and beyond.
Last year we recorded a full live album released on digital and vinyl, can’t wait to see what Jake has in store for us this year!
Irish American Heritage Center
4626 N Knox Ave, Chicago, IL 60630
Friday Evening Dance
Saturday Evening Dance
All classes
Forteza Fitness
4437 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
Friday Late Night Dance
Saturday Late Night Dance
Interested in Volunteering at the Event?
We need quite a few volunteers to help out during the event. As a token of our appreciation, you’ll receive $10 refund for your pass per hour you volunteer at the end of the event. Sign up below and we’ll contact you with more details.
Second City Swingout is run by Traffic Jam! Swing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Have questions?
Contact us at hello@trafficjamswing.com
© Copyright 2026 Traffic Jam! Swing, Inc. All rights reserved. Traffic Jam! Swing, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.