Strictly for Croi 2026

What to Expect

Strictly for Croi is the charity’s ballroom fundraiser, built on the familiar television format: local people with no dance background are paired up, trained by professionals over eight weeks, and then perform on stage in front of a paying audience. The 2026 edition lands on Saturday 7 November at the Clayton Hotel in Ballybrit, and the theme is the eighties. Each dancer picks their own eighties track, which means the running order swings between big power ballads and floor-fillers rather than settling into one style.

Croi frames it as a night out as much as a fundraiser, and encourages supporters to come as a group rather than individually, so tables of colleagues, clubs and families are the norm. Dancers raise sponsorship in the run-up and the audience contributes on the night. Places for dancers are limited and are handled directly by Croi, with Mike Cubbard taking registrations by email. Money raised goes to Croi’s work on heart disease and stroke across the west of Ireland, which covers prevention and rehabilitation programmes, a nurse helpline, professional training and patient support.

Good to Know

• Date: Saturday 7 November 2026 at the Clayton Hotel Galway, Ballybrit.
• Theme is the eighties. Dancers choose their own eighties song.
• Dancers get eight weeks of professional dance training before the night.
• Ticket price and start time were not published at the time of writing. Check the Croi event page or contact the charity directly.
• Places for dancers are limited. Croi asks anyone interested to email mike@croi.ie.
• Organised by Croi, the West of Ireland Cardiac and Stroke Foundation.

Getting There

The Clayton Hotel Galway is at Ballybrit on the eastern edge of the city, beside Galway Racecourse and about five minutes from the N6 and the M6 motorway exit at Doughiska. Coming from Dublin, Athlone or Ballinasloe, stay on the M6 and follow signs for Galway city and the racecourse rather than continuing into the centre. The hotel has a large on-site car park. City bus routes serving Ballybrit and Parkmore stop nearby, and a taxi from Eyre Square takes roughly ten to fifteen minutes outside peak traffic. Ceannt Station is the arrival point for rail and intercity coach passengers.