Sign Up FAQ

Here’s the skinny:

Since 2013, YDW uses a lottery system for registration. Our belief is that by using a lottery when necessary, we can reduce stress and anxiety by avoiding the rush to sign up as fast as possible. We realize that lotteries have their own drawbacks but we’ve included measures to alleviate the worst of them (e.g. allowing people to register as groups). If you have any questions, you can contact us at info@youthdanceweekend.org. As always, we are committed to open and lively dialogue about the weekend.

Looking for the sign up form? It’s right here!

But what if I get into the weekend and my friend, carpool buddy, sweetie, spouse, second-cousin-once removed doesn’t?

Lotteries, of course, have their own drawbacks, primarily that the outcome is uncertain prior to the drawing. It’s risky to enter a lottery as individuals when you and person X, Y, or Z are committed to attending the event together. This led to our decision to allow you to register either by yourself as a party of one or with another person as a party of four.

Each member of a party must still fill out a separate registration form, but there’s an option to indicate who is in your party. Please sure everyone in your party lists the rest of the party. Registrations grouped this way will be admitted to the event or places ont he waitlist together.

I’ve never been to YDW before; what are my chances of getting in during the lottery?

Based on unequivocal results from our 2012 registration survey (90% of respondents said it was important that newcomers be able to attend YDW) we decided that parties which include at least one newcomer should receive preference during the lottery.

What happens if my party doesn’t get in during the lottery? Will I still be charged a registration fee?

Anyone who does not get into the weekend during the lottery will be transferred to the waitlist (ranked in order by lottery numbers). The waitlist will then be opened for others to join the end of the line in a FCFS system.

People on the waitlist will NOT be required to pay any fees until they accept an offered slot. If/when you get in, you will have a limited time to pay your selected fee. If the full balance is not received before the deadline, you will forfeit your slot to the next person on the waitlist.

If I don’t get in during the lottery, will I be given preference in future years?

If you sign up during the registration period (May 5th – 30th), don’t get in during the lottery, and end up not attending YDW (even if offered a spot from the waitlist), then you will get preference during the next year’s lottery. If this happens to you twice in a row, the third year you will get in automatically.

 

What if I end up not being able to come? Will I get my registration fee back?

We understand that cancellations are often the result of extenuating circumstances so please contact us if you feel you deserve an exception to the following guidelines. We are humans. We’ll work with ya.

If you cancel on or before July 23rd, you will receive a full refund minus $10.

If you cancel between July 24th and August 26th, you will receive a refund minus $70 (half of the at-cost price).

If you cancel on or after August 27th, you will only receive a refund of any money above the at-cost amount of $145. In other words, if you paid $105 to attend, we will keep your entire registration fee, but if you paid $300, we will only keep $145.

Please note that your registration is not transferable; if you cancel we will assign your slot to the next person on the waitlist. If you know you will not be able to attend, please cancel your registration early. This allows us to let people off the waitlist sooner and more people who need time to plan their travel will be able to attend!

How much does YDW cost?

Our fee structure is “pay-what-you-can”, meaning you choose how much you can afford to pay to attend YDW starting at a minimum of $95. No payment is required at initial registration. If we reach capacity on or before May 30th, we will hold a lottery to see who will attend YDW. If you are admitted during the lottery (or if we don’t have a lottery), you will then be required to select a registration fee amount and send in your payment.