A daddy-daughter dance is a right of passage that nearly every daughter and her dad or father figure can look forward to. Whether it’s a small dance at a community event or an all–eyes-on-you dance for a wedding, the moment is special.
A number of dances held in communities surrounding The Villages, gave dads the chance to have a special night with their daughters.
Dads, father figures and their daughters dressed in pink partied Feb. 8 during the Father Daughter Dance hosted by the City of Wildwood with a Pretty in Pink theme.
To capture the theme, the city transformed the auditorium into a pink paradise with all things pink, from the goodie bags to the pink floral centerpieces. The invitation brought more than 100 men and their dates to the Warfield Auditorium, 98 S. Warfield Ave. in Wildwood, for the sold out event.
“We wanted to provide a unique event and it’s always really sweet to see the fathers and their daughters dressed up,” said Jillian Boyar, recreation specialist for the City of Wildwood. “The outfits were amazing. I loved seeing the girls matching with their dads.”
Along with music and dancing throughout the night, families played friendly games and participated in activities including getting temporary tattoos, getting their photo taken before personalizing a wood frame for the image and a dress up game.
The game challenged the fathers to try to be the first person to touch the stage after being dressed in accessories by their daughters.
“At first I was worried that we would have low participation for the dress up, because we had things like hats, scarfs, feathers, necklaces and earrings for the girls to put on their dads, but the line to participate was really long,” Boyar said. “It was nice to see the fathers get down on their daughter’s level to be good models.”
After participating in a few of the activities set up for the night, they enjoyed a spaghetti dinner.
Boyar said the event brought a night of dancing, exciting activities and friendly competition forming memories that will stay with the families for a long time.
“We wanted to have some activities to do between the dancing, but man those girls have stamina,” Boyar said.
For more information, visit wildwood-fl.gov.
Families Party in Paradise at Tavares Dance
Little girls with a passion for dancing and spending time with their fathers didn’t miss a beat during the 2025 Father — Daughter Dance hosted by staff of the City of Tavares.
With the theme of the dance being “Party in Paradise,” families enjoyed the bright colors and music that created a fun atmosphere on Feb. 13 at the Tavares Pavilion on the Lake, 200 S. Disston Ave. in Tavares.
Families who attended the dance enjoyed chance drawings, creating crafts, getting gifts and being able to take photos to have long lasting memories of the dance.
For more information about future events hosted by Tavares, visit tavaresfl.gov.
Make an Appearance to the Leesburg Masquerade Sneaker Ball
Fathers, grandfathers and father figures will be able to share special steps with their special girl during the Daddy Daughter Dance Masquerade Sneaker Ball.
The 7th annual Daddy Daughter Dance will be hosted by staff from the City of the Leesburg from 6. to 8 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Venetian Center, 1 Dozier Circle in Leesburg.
With the theme of the dance being a masquerade sneaker ball, guests are challenged to come up with outfits incorporating masks, ball gowns, sneakers and their own personal style.
“The main goal of the event is to have dads create evenings with their daughters to bond,” said Te’Rella Coleman, executive assistant to the City of Leesburg. “We want the community to come together and make the community stronger.”
Whether you want to dance the night away or save the memory by getting your picture taken by the event photographer, there is a lot to do during the event. There will be dancing, a 360 photo booth, caricature artists, finger food and prizes for best dressed.
Though details about the event on the City website say ages 4 to 12, girls who are older are able to attend the dance and won’t be turned away.
“We wanted to focus on middle school-aged girls,” Coleman said. “There is no formal dance for this age group, so we wanted to target that range to give those girls a chance to dress up and have something they can enjoy.”
The dance is a part of the city of Leesburg’s Rec’N Saturday program. The Rec’N Saturday program were created by the city to offer recurring family-friendly event geared towards bringing the community together.
Tickets for the event are $40 per couple and will be on sale through Friday. To purchase tickets or learn more information about the event, visit leesburgflorida.gov.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
