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Midnight Madness

·6 mins
Dance West Coast Swing

Midnight Madness is a yearly West Coast Swing competition that happens inside the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport at the Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport hotel.

Competing #

You need to buy the following things to compete in the event:

  • A weekend pass so you can access the event.
  • A Jack-&-Jill, ProAm, Strictly, or Routine pass so you can compete.
  • A hotel reservation for Friday night and Saturday night (unless you want to sleep in your car).

Whenever you compete for the first time, you do not need to have a World Swing Dance Council competitor ID. You will be given one after you compete and win points. Only Jack-&-Jill competition winners get points.

Whenever you get to the Hyatt hotel, take the stairs to the ground level where all the ballrooms are located. Do not use the elevators; people use those to go to their rooms upstairs.

At the ground level there will be multiple dance events, like Two Step, so find the West Coast Swing section and ask where the receptionist is. She will ask you your name and give you a wrist band that you must keep on for the weekend. If the wristband snaps, bring it to the receptionist to get it replaced. You do not need to show proof of purchase like an email receipt or proof of identity to receive your wrist band. Also, ask where you can get your competitor label; get it and put it your car if not using it to avoid losing or damaging it.

You can bring backpacks, purses, bags, etc., into the ballroom. I do not know if they will be checked. You can place snacks, shoes, and personal belongings in the bag. You do not want to compete with your phone and wallet in your pockets.

Reserving a hotel #

The event happens on November 14th through 16th (or a date that falls on a weekend), but buy the hotel tickets before Oct 20, otherwise all the rooms will be booked.

Since the event goes from Friday to Sunday, buy at least two hotel nights. One for Friday and another for Saturday.

If you drive there on Friday morning, you will not rest well and will perform poorly on the workshops, so buy a third night for Thursday. It is worth it. Also note that staying in a hotel outside of the airport is cheaper, but will need 30-60 minutes of driving that you could have used sleeping, eating, or doing a workshop.

Print and keep the hotel reservation receipt, which says the check-in and check-out times. If the event ends at 3PM on Sunday and the checkout time is 11AM, you will need to checkout before heading to the event, otherwise you will have to pay an extra night. You may need to call the hotel to confirm the room has a

  • shower
  • fridge
  • iron.

Once you arrive to the hotel, ask the receptionist if there is free breakfast and during what time window it is served. Set an alarm to make sure you do not miss it. Eating breakfast at the hotel will save you 30 minutes.

Once in your room, if possible, iron your clothes and hang them so they are ready to be worn. Make sure the iron steam holes are clean by steaming the stand or a towel before putting the iron on your clothes.

Preparing for travel #

Food #

Bring a small cooler with:

  • Two bottles of cold water (to avoid using ice) per day of stay.
  • Electrolyte pills, powders, drinks, etc. for the morning.
  • Protein bars, oranges, baked sweet potatoes, nuts, washed strawberries, or washed blueberries for snacking in the morning or at night.
  • Supplements for each day, a metal spoon, and a glass.
  • Sugary sweets (not too much) for CRAZY energy before an important dance.

Clothes #

Prepare your outfits for each day. You do not want to waste time on this the day of the event:

  • shirts
    • ties
    • shirt stays
  • pants
    • belts
    • underwear
  • shoes
    • metatarsal pads
    • socks

Also:

  • Bring plastic bags to isolate shoes and dirty clothes.
  • Lint clothes, specially black clothes, to avoid having to bring a lint roller.
  • Inspect shoe suede soles and replace them if needed.

Luggage #

Bring the following items:

  • a hairbrush
  • a razor
  • a toothbrush
  • floss
  • ear protection
  • a phone charger
  • a phone
  • a wallet
  • transparent tape (to tape your competitor number if it rips apart)

Before traveling #

A month before:

  • Make an absence request to your job.
  • Archive your phone photos and videos to make space for the event.

Three weeks before:

  • Make a haircut appointment.

One week before:

  • Begin packing your luggage.

A couple of days before:

  • Familiarize yourself with the roads to the event venue and hotel.
  • Buy the food and snacks that you plan to bring.
  • Read the event schedule to know at what times you will be competing, and at what time the registration for certain events ends, and at what time the finalists are announced.
  • Make a schedule, like the following:
    • Thursday: Leave work early. Leave at 4PM. Check-in at 9PM. Hang clothes. Dine. Sleep at 10:30PM.
    • Friday: Wake up at 7AM. Eat breakfast at 8AM. Shower at 8:30AM. Be at ballroom at 10AM. Arrive at 11. Leave at 9:30PM. Go to bed at 10:30PM.
    • Sunday: Wake up at 7AM. Eat breakfast at 8AM. Shower at 8:30AM. Attach competitor number to shirt and cover it with a sweater if needed. Be at ballroom at 10AM. Compete at 11:30AM (set reminder). Leave at 9:30PM. Sleep by 10:30PM.
    • Saturday: Wake up at 7AM. Eat breakfast at 8AM. Shower at 8:30AM. Attach competitor number to shirt and cover it with a sweater if needed. Checkout at 9:30AM. Be at ballroom at 10AM. Compete at some-time (set reminder). Leave at 4. Arrive home at 9.

The day of:

  • Pack the food into the cooler.
  • Cut your nails before traveling to avoid having to bring a nail clipper.
  • Re-fuel your your car and pick a mid-way point place for re-fueling, like Woody’s Smokehouse Northbound, 947 W St Marys St.

Parking #

Read the driving instructions so that you do not need to pay for parking. The short of it is:

  • Do not use toll lanes, use the two right-hand “Ticket Only” lanes to get a ticket.
  • Get a ticket from the machine at the “Ticket Only” entry gate.
  • Before leaving the hotel, get the ticket validated by a receptionist.
  • When leaving the airport, the Midnight Madness website instructions say to insert the ticket into the “Cash Only” exit gate. I did not see a cash-only exit gate whenever I went in 2025, so I used the “Credit Tolltag Ⓣ” line, which accepted the ticket fine.

At the event #

Leave your wallet, deodorant, hairbrush, hotel receipt, and competition receipt at the car. For convenience, only carry:

  • Your phone for taking videos
  • Your car keys.
  • The parking ticket (if staying outside of the airport) to get it validated before leaving the Hyatt, which you can put inside your phone case for convenience.

Also:

  • Keep track of the times whenever you are supposed to have your competitor number attached.
  • Be proactive about asking people to record you while you compete. This will require coordination. The sooner you coordinate, the better.