Following the success of our first event in April earlier this year, the ‘Young Gathering’ returns to London in December for a Christmas-themed Ball!

Event Details

Date: Tuesday 17th December 2024
Time: 7pm-11pm
Location: Lower Hall, St Columba’s Church, Pont Street, Chelsea, SW1X 0BD

Evening Schedule

• 7pm: Doors open for drinks reception and filling in dance cards

• 7.30pm: First dance (Dashing White Sergeant)

• 9pm: 15 minute Break / Interval

• 11pm: Carriages

Dress Code

Highland Dress, Black Tie, or dresses and skirts made for twirling!
Shoes that spin are highly recommended

Who Can Attend?

• Students in Years 11, 12, and 13 are welcome, with a basic knowledge of reeling required. Don’t worry if you’re not a pro - our expert caller John Carver will guide everyone through the reels. For those eager to brush up beforehand, check out John’s reeling tutorials at www.reeling.co.uk/videos

• Y14 (gap year students) are also welcome, but please note no alcohol will be served at this event

• A small number of Y10 students who are strong reelers may join older groups, but we regret that we cannot accommodate full Y10 groups. Please email john@reelingevents.com with any questions

Ticket Information

• Tickets are now LIVE for this event! (1/10/24)

• Tickets are priced at £49 per person and can only be purchased in groups of 8, 16, or 24

• Please ensure all groups include an equal number of boys & girls!

• If you wish to book for a different group size (eg: 10, 12, or 14 etc), we can help enable this as you have at least 8 in your party. Please email john@reelthingevents.com for more info.

FAQ

• Q: Help - My son/daughter does not know how to reel!

  No worries that your son/daughter is not yet an expert reeler! The Young Gathering is open to anyone of the right age, and the focus is on fun and participation. While knowing the basic steps of the Dashing White Sergeant or Eightsome Reel will be helpful, it's certainly not a requirement. A look at John Carver’s ‘Reeling Essentials’ video (link here) would be time well spent, giving your son/daughter a quick introduction to the basic steps. Most importantly, if they attend the event with a willingness to learn and to have fun, they will be sure to have a great time. John will be calling all of the dances on the night and there will be plenty of friendly people around happy to guide them too!

• Q: Will dance cards be used at the Ball?

  A: Absolutely! This is a key tradition of any reeling Ball and the Young Gathering will be no different. We can even send them out to ticket-buyers in advance of the event, if groups would like to fill in their dance cards perhaps during drinks/supper before coming along to the Ball. A helpful guide to filling in dance cards correctly will also be sent with all dance cards, just so guests know what to do!

• Q: How do we get hold of our dance cards and pencils?

  A: All ticket buyers will be contacted in mid November and asked where you would like your dance cards to be sent to, in advance of the Ball. We can send these via Royal Mail so that your party can fill them in before you arrive at the Ball.

  Alternatively, you can choose to collect them on the night at the venue and fill them in at the drinks reception before the first dance.

  The choice is yours!

• Q: What dances will we be doing?

  A: For many guests, this will be their first reeling ball, so we’ll start with simpler reels and build up from there. Expect to dance classics like the Dashing White Sergeant, Eightsome Reel, and Reel of the 51st (likely to be the grand finale). We may also include Hamilton House and Duke of Perth, and for fun, we might even throw in Strip the Willow (although not strictly a reel!). Don’t worry - there will be a walkthrough before every dance. Want to brush up ahead of time? Check out John’s reeling tutorials at www.reeling.co.uk/videos.

• Q: Will there be any supper?

  A: We will have some small snacks going around between dances but we encourage everyone to have a bite to eat with their parties before coming to the venue. This way we can’t make the most of the time for dancing - this is a Reel Thing event, after all :-)

• Q: Will there be any alcohol served at the event?

  A: No! This is a zero alcohol event simply because of the age group of those attending. However, there will be plenty of soft drinks available during the evening, including a flute of sparkling elderflower served to everyone on arrival! 🥂

  Any guest arriving at the Ball in possession of alcohol or clearly under the influence will be asked to leave immediately

• Q: Why do I have to buy a *minimum* of 8 tickets?

  A: This is simply because we want everyone to attend the Ball as part of a group. That way, guests are less likely to get lost in the crowd or end up without partners for the dances. We will have a number of helpers there on the night to assist with this, but it’s much easier to manage if everyone attends as part of a group. Ideally, each group/party going to the Ball would meet up beforehand for supper/drinks - that will also help to keep everyone involved.

• Q: Why do we need an even numbers of boys & girls in our groups?

  We understand it can be tricky to organise groups with an even number of boys and girls, but there are good reasons for this.

  First, we want to ensure everyone has a partner for every dance, as all reels are partner-based. Having balanced numbers makes this much easier and ensures that everyone has a more enjoyable experience on the dance floor.

  We also ask that everyone attend in groups of at least 8 people to enhance the overall experience—especially for this age group. Coming as part of a group means there are familiar faces to share the evening with, which makes filling in dance cards and getting ready for each reel smoother and more comfortable. It can also help reduce any awkwardness, as group members often get to know each other beforehand.

• Q: I already purchased 8 tickets and need a few more. Is that possible?

  A: As long as there are at least 8 in your group, you can easily buy a few more tickets just by emailing your request to john@reelthingevents.com. We will send you a link to buy however many extra tickets you need.

If you have any questions, please email john@reelthingevents.com