Anton Du Beke, Giovanni Pernice, Kai Widdrington, Lauren Oakley and more are heading to the Celtic Manor Resort from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 April 2027. Expect three days of live dance, lessons with the professionals and a Saturday night ball with a 15-piece band.
There’s a moment in every good episode of Strictly Come Dancing when the music starts and you put down whatever you’re doing to watch. Now imagine hearing those first few notes from a table beside the dance floor. You can see the tiny steps that make a quickstep look effortless, hear the band without a television speaker between you and the brass section, and catch the glance between two dancers just before they move. Then, the next morning, you get to ask one of the professionals how on earth they did it.
That’s the idea behind Donahey’s Dancing With the Stars Weekend, which brings some of ballroom and Latin’s best-known faces to the five-star Celtic Manor Resort Hotel in Newport from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th April 2027. The three-day break takes in professional showcases, dance classes, Q&As and red-carpet photo opportunities, with two nights at the hotel. The action centres on the Caernarfon Ballroom, where guests have reserved tables by the dance floor for the showcases.
Friday gets off to a quickstep
Donahey’s working programme gets straight to it with a quickstep lesson led by Anton Du Beke and Rosie Ward. Anyone who’s ever watched Anton glide around the ballroom and thought, “I could probably do that,” will have an opportunity to test the theory. The quickstep’s buoyancy is part of its charm. It also explains why a lesson from someone who can break it down into manageable steps might come in handy.
Friday evening moves from dinner at the Olive Tree to social dancing and two showcases with distinctly different moods. Argentine tango specialists Leandro Palou and Maria Tsiatsiani take to the floor, while Anton and Rosie perform a ballroom showcase featuring vocals from Lance Ellington, a voice familiar to Strictly viewers. There’s a Q&A on the programme too. It’s a chance to ask about the things you wonder from the sofa, from how long a routine really takes to put together to what goes through a dancer’s mind when a step goes awry.
From Giovanni’s jive to a black-tie ball
Saturday is the busiest teaching day. Giovanni Pernice is scheduled to teach jive, Julian Caillon and Alexis Warr lead the cha-cha-cha, and Leandro and Maria take guests through Argentine tango. Instructor Tony Bennett is down to teach waltz, and the morning programme also includes a Latin line session. It’s a varied mix even if you already dance socially. A jive asks for a different kind of energy from a waltz, and a tango lesson gives you time to concentrate on how you move together.
Saturday’s Black Tie Ball is the night to dress up. The Tony Greenwood 15-piece Big Band plays for the evening’s social dancing, with professional performances from British Showdance Champions David Cockram and Rosie Ward, Julian Caillon and Alexis Warr, Benjamin Turner and Lilia Fleming, and Team Warren and Kristi Boyce. If you’ve spent the afternoon counting beats under your breath, this is your chance to see what happens when you try a few of those steps to a live band. Watching the professionals at floor level is a treat in itself. You get to choose where to look, whether that’s at the sweep of a dress, the footwork or the moment the band and the dancers hit the same accent.
Kai and Lauren bring the curtain down
There’s still plenty to come on Sunday. Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley are scheduled to teach rumba, and David and Rosie will lead a tango lesson. Kai and Lauren then return for the grand finale, followed by a Q&A and the last red-carpet photocall of the weekend. Seeing a pair teach and perform on the same day is one of the pleasures of this format. Once you’ve tried a simple movement yourself, you tend to spot details in a performance that might have passed you by before.
Can you go if you’ve never danced?
Yes. Donahey’s includes seven hours of tuition and groups guests by experience, with classes for absolute beginners as well as people who already dance. Participation is optional, so you can do the whole lot, pick a few lessons or spend the weekend enjoying the shows. That flexibility matters if one of you is itching to get on the floor and the other is mainly there to see Anton. The weekend is for guests aged 18 and over.
The Celtic Manor is a big part of the draw. The Newport resort hosted the 2010 Ryder Cup and sits in more than 2,000 acres of parkland. There’s a change of pace waiting outside the ballroom, with the Forum Spa, restaurants and championship golf courses on the wider resort. Even if you live close enough to see the hotel on your usual drive into Newport, there’s something appealing about checking in on a Friday and having dinner, the evening show and your bed all under one roof.
Dates, prices and how to book
Donahey’s Dancing With the Stars Weekend runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th April 2027 at the Celtic Manor Resort Hotel, Newport, NP18 1HQ. The three-day package includes two nights with dinner, bed and breakfast, plus the dance programme. Donahey’s lists the price at £775 per person for bookings made before 30 November 2026, £785 per person if booked by 31st December 2026 and £795 per person thereafter. Prices are based on two sharing, with supplements for selected room upgrades.
The organiser currently lists a £125 per person deposit and says single places have sold out. Check the booking page for current availability and any changes to the programme.
See the full programme and book with Donahey HERE or call 0800 160 1770.
