1st - 3rd November 2024
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British Salsa Marathon is a project that comes to you from the heart. It's about bringing great people together, in a great venue with great music. It's that simple.
If you are new to the salsa marathon concept, you're in for a treat! Marathons are about maximising the social element of dancing and making the experience as relaxed as possible. No shows. No performances. No crazy big workshops. Just friendly people who want to dance...preferably non-stop!
We've even spoken to the universe and have been promised that the sun will do it's best to shine or at least we've begged for the heavens not to open. Although in November UK weather is...well....UK weather...hopefully you'll be dancing your feet off so you won't even notice. We also have comfy cosy chill out spaces so you'll be oblivious to what's happening outside.
We want to share with you our love of great dancing and music combined with the best of British. You'll feel it through the selection of DJ's, beautiful venue, yummy food, and lots of personal touches to make you feel at home. If you're intermediate/advanced On1, On2-curious or an On2 fanatic this is the event for you!
See you soon!
Nirvana
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The Old Library
Zellig, Gibb St, Deritend,
Birmingham B9 4AT
Our venue is a beautiful 19th century library, originally built as one of the first five free libraries in Birmingham. The space dates back from 1866, and has since been beautifully restored, with a parquet floor that is perfect for salsa. It's located in the funky district of Digbeth, where you'll find independent galleries, music venues and some of the best street food in town.
No big introductions necessary here really. If you know your salsa then you'll know these guys. Of course, we're showcasing some of the talent right here in the UK as well as inviting some skilled very dear friends to keep you on your dancing feet.
DJ Luis
DJ Incognito
DJ Loïc
DJ Sassia
UK
DJ Luís
Switzerland
DJ Loïc
France
DJ Rupert
UK
DJ Tony
Salsacolección
Spain
DJ Vincent
France
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BSM opens on Friday at 19.00h and closes on Sunday at 18.30h, which means your pass includes more than enough hours of dance time! Need even more dance time? Well we've thought of that too! Included in the BSM full pass is a complimentary invitation to the BSM Afterparty, which means more dance pleasure 'til 3am.
We've selected 6 of our favourite DJ's to bring you a selection of the best music, and one of the most beautiful venues in Birmingham with the perfect dance floor.
Food is included in the price*, which means you'll get treated to brunch, afternoon picnic and early morning nibbles for when you get an attack of the munchies after non-stop dancing...not to mention tea (English breakfast of course), coffee and plenty of water just when you need them, so you can help yourself to what you need, when you want.
There will also be a bar in the chillout zone, so you can buy yourself a drink of something a little stronger if you fancy a break, or when your feet force you to have a rest!
It doesn't really get better than that, but just to make sure, we're adding some special British treats so that you remember why you came and why you'll be back the following year.
We're keeping it simple with one pass price:
BSM pass = £145
...HOWEVER! The "more the merrier" we say...
Come as a group and save a few quid!
Group of 4 people = 5% discount (Code: BSM4)
Group of 6 people = 10% discount (Code: BSM6)
Group of 8 people = 15% discount (Code: BSM8)
To register a group simply choose a group leader, who will register the people in their group and will make the payment for all.
Registration info is in the REGISTER section.
*Dinner is NOT included. We have a Dinner break instead to allow time for you to eat and rest as per your choice and at your own pace. Removal of dinner is not to save us money but rather to save food waste; less than 45% of dancers had dinner in editions 1 & 2 which means pre-ordered food that could have fed hungry bellies. This way we stay true to our GREEN values. As a result the price of a pass is also lower to pass on the benefits direct to dancers.
Friday 1st November
19.00-03.00H
REGISTRATION: 19.00H-00.00H
MARATHON PICNIC: 22:00ish
SNACKS: to be served during the evening
Saturday 2nd November
12.00-04.00H
REGISTRATION: 12.00-16.00H
ENGLISH BREAKFAST: 12.00H-14:00H
(Light continental available until 15:00)
DINNER BREAK: 18.30H-21.00H
AFTERNOON TEA: to be served for grazing
Sunday 3rd November
12.00-18.30H
ENGLISH BREAKFAST: 12.00H-14.00H
(Light continental available until 15:00)
AFTERNOON TEA: to be served for grazing
Sunday Afterparty
22.00-03.00H
FREE ENTRY for BSM dancers
£15 to non-BSM dancers in advance
*£20 at the door last entry at MIDNIGHT
Registration is easy peasy lemon squeezy!
Just follow the link below and complete your details on the registration page.
If you are a group leader, register using the same link and we will send instructions to your group members.
We will come back to you as soon as we can to let you know. If you're on the list, you'll then receive a further email from us with details of how to make payment. Once we receive your payment you'll get a confirmation email and you're all set!
SALES CLOSE 72hrs IN ADVANCE. NO WEEKEND TICKETS ON THE DOOR
Any questions just drop us a line:
BSM goes GREEN!
It's important to us to make Birmingham Salsa Marathon is as eco-friendly as possible, here are some of our GREEN adaptations:
1) All of your street food will be served in disposable compostable packaging.
2) Any other meals we serve will also be on washable crockery or disposable biodegradable packaging.
3) We are swapping many of our meat options for plant-based (Veg/Vegan) dishes this year.
4) Tea & coffee will be served in compostable paper cups (at a small fee per cup, once you've used your free cups). So please feel free to bring your own hot drinks flask if you wish to reduce waste.
5) We aim to recycle all of the materials and packaging that have onsite
6) Water will be available all day, however we request that dancers bring their own water bottles to be refilled. We will not serve water in disposable plastic or paper cups. We hope you will support us to be eco-warriors and look after Mother Earth together.
7) Food waste is a world issue in the western world in particular. In BSM editions 1&2 we unfortunately contributed to the problem. Over 55% of dinners provided went to waste. From edition 3 we will provide more substantial snacks in addition to brunch to avoid wasting food at dinner time.
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Birmingham isn't just the home of the Peaky Blinders! It's the UK's second city after the capital so transport is pretty easy and accessible if you're coming over from Europe. The city is also centrally located in England so it's a good half way point in the country. There are regular and direct connections to London terminals and to other major cities like Manchester, which means plenty of options if you don't want to fly direct.
The venue is located about 10-15 min walk from Birmingham city centre, so there is a huge number of transport links and lots of accommodation.
Accommodation options
(These are some of the closest, but Birmingham is a major city so there are heaps more depending on how far you're prepared to travel)
1. Clayton Hotel Birmingham
Albert St, Birmingham B5 5JE
www.claytonhotelbirmingham.com
2. Aparthotel Adagio Birmingham City Centre
131 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DR
https://www.adagio-city.com/gb/hotel-8117-aparthotel-adagio-birmingham-city-centre/index.shtml
3. Ibis Birmingham New Street station
21 Ladywell walk, Arcadian Centre, B5 4ST BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom
https://all.accor.com/hotel/1459/index.en.shtml
4.Birmingham Central Backpackers (£)
The Eastside Tavern, Coventry St, Birmingham B5 5NH
https://birminghambackpackers.com
Some others to consider that are not far approx (15-20mins walk away):
5. Travelodge Birmingham Central Bull Ring
7. Radisson Blu Hotel, Birmingham
8. EasyHotel, Birmingham
9. Premier Inn, Birmingham City Centre (New Street)
There are of course also lots and lots of Air BnB options in the area as well as private apartments which can be a cost-effective alternative. Some can be found on www.booking.com
Travel tips
By Plane:
Birmingham has it's own airport - Birmingham International Airport
From the airport you can catch a less than 2 minute monorail to Birmingham International Train Station, from there you can connect easily to the city centre. Trains from Birmingham International Station will take you to Birmingham New Street Station within the new Grand Central complex which is one of the three main stations in the city centre. The journey takes between 11-13 minutes. Then take a short walk to the venue!
There are also buses that take you to the city centre from the airport and take between 20-40mins depending on traffic. Routes X1, X12, 75/75A all connect via the city centre. Avoid rush-hour as it's closer to 40mins with main road traffic.
If you don't want the hassle of buses or trains from the airport, a taxi to the city centre will cost you approx £20 and will take about 20-30mins depending on traffic. Uber costs may vary. You can also try the local taxi company A2B Cars their prices are fair and reasonable.
By train:
Train is definitely the fastest and most efficient way to get to the venue. Birmingham Moor Street Station is technically the closest train station to the venue - approx 10 mins walk. Birmingham New Street Station isn't much further away though, literally 1-2 minutes more, so both are easy.
By Coach:
Birmingham (Digbeth) Coach Station is super close to the venue, literally 5 mins walk away so great for connections - just beware of traffic at rush hour.
By Car:
The Old Library is a City Centre location, there is a lot of street parking to the sides and behind the venue, but it is free at the weekends so isn't always easy. If you find a space, avoid moving your car as, more than likely, someone will snap it up! There is a carpark attached to the venue but it's only open to until 10pm and is a 'Pay and Display' so have some change ready.
