Winter Jump is a Lindy Hop festival that has taken place in Oslo at the end of February since 1996. It was founded by “The SwingOuts” and has later been in the hands of members of “Norweegies”. Currently the camp is run by members of Bårdar Swing Club. Over the years the camp has grown both in size and reputation, and is today the largest Lindy Hop festival in Norway.

We are a small group of enthusiastic dancers organizing the event in our spare time on a voluntary basis. Bårdar Swing Club, based in Oslo, is a non-profit organization where everyone contributes with time, skills and positive energy. All teachers, trustees and volunteers contribute because they want to actively share with our dance community. All funding goes into new dance events and activities for our members.

If we want to add something of value to Lindy Hop, we need to have connection and understanding of the circumstances that brought about this dance.

Lindy Hop is an African-American dance originating from Harlem, New York in the 1920-40s. It was danced to the popular music of that time - Jazz. The dance is strongly influenced by rhythms and movements from various West African dances.

Lindy Hop can be seen as a dance that is about overcoming hardships and showing resilience. For many people the dance represents turning something difficult, unfair and cruel into something beautiful. For us Lindy Hop is about celebrating black victories, freedom, diversity and togetherness.

Lindy Hop is not just a dance, and did not appear out of thin air. It sprung out of Black American culture and communities representing togetherness and belonging. As modern European dancers, it is important for us to remember where the culture originally comes from, and appreciate that we can be part of it as guests. We are truly grateful to this culture for making the expression of joy and rhythm that is Lindy Hop and Jazz music.

Why is this important information for you as a participant at Winter Jump?

With history in mind, we try our best to honor the legacy, and ongoing contributions, of black dancers. Lindy Hop is a dance rooted in history, and we want to stay in touch with the values of the people who created the dance. Generosity, creativity, appreciation and support. We look forward to sharing our passion for Lindy Hop with you!

We show respect to others, the music, the history and the culture we share together.

We include others and actively take responsibility for inviting people into our group during activities, dancing and hanging out.

We are open to improvisation, people's views, opinions and culture. We trust the good intentions of others.

We share our passion no matter how long we have been dancing. All participants are good enough to be taking up space on the dance floor, and we value different expressions and experience. No dancer is good or bad - we are just different.

Winter Jump is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable event experience for all participants, therefore all attendees, instructors, staff, and volunteers at Winter Jump are required to comply with the following code of conduct.

Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event. We are expecting cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.

Winter Jump is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable event experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity or religion. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event without a refund at the discretion of the organizers.

Everyone is welcome at Winter Jump. We expect participants, teachers, organizers and other contributors to be kind, inclusive and welcoming towards each other. We share the values stated in the manifesto of Collective Voices for Change (CVFC). We are conscious and aware that some people face discrimination in society, and therefore we emphasize that safety for people of color, any gender or physical ability is a high priority at our event.

We do not accept any harassment at our event. Harassment includes offensive comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity or religion. Harassment also includes sharing sexual images, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, taking photos or recording without consent, sustained disruption of workshops or parties, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing and/or illegal behavior, the event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of event staff immediately. Event staff can be found at any venue.

Event staff will be happy to help participants contact venue staff or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance and your safety.

We expect participants to follow these rules throughout the whole weekend.

If you experience violations of our guidelines, we would like you to tell us about it. When you give us an alert, we have the chance to do something about the situation and prevent recurrence. It is important for us that you let us know if anything uncomfortable happens to you or others! 

You can notify us about something you have experienced yourself, witnessed happening, heard about from others or things you see as inappropriate or illegal. You can give an alert when the incident is very serious or illegal, but also if you experience an incident as crossing boundaries, but maybe not as harmful. Nothing is seen as too small or big!

When you make a report, we will:

• Ask how you would like the situation handled.
• Respect it if you wish to be anonymous
• Do one of the following actions: observe the person in question, immediately approach and ask for a correction of the behavior, ask them to leave, or call the police. We will take into consideration what action you requested, and will not force a confrontation or any other action against your will.

When you register for the festival you accept our terms and conditions and code of conduct.

Once you have paid for your pass it cannot be canceled or refunded. You are, however, allowed to sell or gift your pass to someone with the same role and level. The last date for changing the owner of a pass is February 18th 2024. If you are selling a pass, please email us the details of the new participant.

By registering for Winter Jump you agree to pictures and video being made, shared and used on social media and to market Winter Jump. If for some reason you prefer not to have photos of yourself taken or published, please send us an email.

Sometimes unforeseen things happen, and we reserve the right to change the time or location of classes and parties if necessary. Similarly, if a teacher is prevented from attending we might have to find a suitable replacement. Any changes will be communicated on our web page and on Facebook.

All participants must follow our code of conduct. If you disregard the code of conduct or other rules stated by the organizers, you may be asked to leave the event without a refund.

Winter Jump does not take responsibility for incidents, injuries or personal items or valuables that are lost or stolen during the event. Please look out for each other.

Winter Jump will only collect and store the personal information necessary to provide you with a good festival experience. We will not share your information with others or use it for other purposes.

For Winter Jump 2023 we will follow the Norwegian Government and health authorities regulations and recommendations throughout the event.

If you plan to travel to Norway from abroad for Winter Jump please read the information provided by the Norwegian government before you book a ticket.

We request that you follow general hygiene measures:
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay at home even if the symptoms are mild and even if you are vaccinated. Wash or sanitize your hands frequently, especially before and after class and in between dances. Cough or sneeze into your elbow. Bring your own water bottle.

Winter Jump cancellation policy:
In case we have to cancel the event due to force majeure or national regulations such as lockdown we will refund you. We will not refund tickets for participants who are prevented from participating due to change in regulations in their country of residence, or change of status for entry to Norway from the country from which the participant arrives. If there is a waiting list for the course the participant has a ticket for, the organizers will be helpful in establishing contact, so that participants who are prevented from participating due to covid restrictions can sell their ticket to a waiting dancer.
We will not be able to refund costs such as housing, transport and other expenses related to your planned visit to Winter Jump.

It is not possible to guarantee everyone’s safety at an indoor event while the pandemic is still ongoing, even with safety measures in place, if you attend Winter Jump you should be aware and accept there are still risks involved in attending despite our efforts.

If you do not feel comfortable social dancing with others, you can limit your dancing to a fixed partner/solo or your own smaller social circle.
Please note that classes will be with changing of partners as usual, if you wish to limit you partners you will have to attend with a party pass, and you are responsible for making your own arrangements regarding your chosen partner(s).