Marion County, Florida · Established 1993
Two evenings at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. Dessert, crafts, portraits, a dance instructor, and a floor that fills the moment the music starts.
First Evening
Friday
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Second Evening
Saturday
5:00 – 8:00 pm
February 2027 · World Equestrian Center · Expo 1 · Ocala Exact dates confirm with the venue contract in August
Until tickets go on sale
Dessert only. No dinner is served at the dance. Desserts and an ice cream cart are included with every ticket. If you would like dinner, a limited seated dinner is sold separately.
High school seniors and younger. This event is for daughters through their senior year of high school, attending with their father or a father figure.
A night to remember
Included with every ticket
Formal dress, three hours, and nothing else on the schedule. Fathers and father figures from every corner of the county bring their daughters to the same room on the same weekend — which is what has made this event grow for more than thirty years.
Tickets on sale October 1
A seated buffet dinner before the doors open, catered and staffed by the World Equestrian Center. Seats are capped so the room is never rushed — once they are gone, they are gone.
A seated buffet dinner before the dance, added to your dance ticket at checkout. Seats are limited and sell out well before the night.
Dinner guests enter through the side entrance at Expo 1, which will be signed on the night. Everything else about your evening is the same.
Add dinner to your ticketsDinner tickets go on sale October 1, at the same time as dance tickets. The venue caters all food on site; outside food and drink cannot be brought in. Note any dietary needs when you purchase.
New this year
Marion County businesses donate a package — a dinner, a spa afternoon, a weekend rental — and it goes up for bid online. Bidding opens in January and closes one week before the dance, which leaves time to arrange pickup. Every dollar goes back into the event.
Bidding runs in $10 increments. Donating a package is separate from sponsorship — businesses can do either, or both.
Dinner for two
Donated by a local restaurant
Spa afternoon
Salon and spa services package
Party rental
Bounce house or event equipment
Arrive in style
Limousine service on the night of the dance
“A young girl will seek her father’s love first.”
Dr. James Dobson
1993
Where it started
The father-daughter dance movement began in 1993 with Jim Massery, a father in Massachusetts who heard Dr. Dobson speak on the importance of strong relationships between fathers, father figures, and their daughters.
His idea was simple: an evening built around decorations, refreshments, and corsages, where a daughter could learn how a gentleman treats a lady by watching her own father do it. Marion County has been holding that evening ever since — now across two nights, run by parent volunteers from the Ambleside and Magnolia campuses.
Dance dates are announced once the venue contract is signed in August.
August
The venue contract is signed and the dance dates are announced.
October 1
Dance tickets, dinner tickets, and every sponsorship level go live together.
January
The online auction opens and stays open until one week before the dance.
February
Two evenings at the World Equestrian Center. Both nights typically sell out.
For Marion County business
Sponsorship is what keeps ticket prices reachable and the room worth walking into. In return, your business is in front of hundreds of local families for an entire weekend — and stays there, in print and online, long after.
Signage, table placement, and program recognition across both evenings, sized to your level.
Your logo on this site, on printed material distributed county-wide, and in the social campaign that runs from October through event night.
This is not a marketing event with a cause attached. It is a community event your business helped happen, and families remember it that way.
Sponsorship levels
Six levels, placed the way they are in any Ocala show ring. Every level includes social recognition and complimentary tickets. All levels open October 1.
$10,000 · One available
$5,000
10 complimentary tickets
$2,500
8 complimentary tickets
$1,000
6 complimentary tickets
$500
4 complimentary tickets
$250
2 complimentary tickets
In-kind donations and auction packages are welcome at every level.
Before you buy
High school seniors and younger. This event is for daughters through their senior year of high school. There is no lower age limit — plenty of the girls on the floor are in kindergarten.
No. The dance is dessert only. Dessert tables and an ice cream cart are included with every ticket. A seated buffet dinner is available as a separate, limited ticket — see the dinner section above.
No. The World Equestrian Center caters everything on site and does not permit outside food or drink, including for sponsors.
October 1. Dance tickets, dinner tickets, and all sponsorship levels go live the same day. Sponsors receive their ticket codes at that time. Both evenings typically sell out.
Whoever she wants to bring — a grandfather, uncle, stepfather, coach, or family friend. The event has never required it to be her father.
Formal. Most fathers wear a suit or jacket and tie; most daughters wear a formal or party dress. Comfortable shoes are a good idea for both of you.
Professional portraits are taken in the lobby on both nights. Dinner ticket holders get first access to the photo line and one complimentary photo.
Use the partner form below. The auction opens in January and closes one week before the dance, so packages need to be confirmed before the end of December.
Tickets
Every ticket includes a corsage, dessert, crafts, the DJ and dance instructor, and access to portraits. Dinner is a separate add-on.
Open to daughters who are high school seniors and younger, attending with a father or father figure. On sale October 1.
Partner with us
Tell us what you have in mind — a sponsorship level, a named item, or an auction package — and we will come back with the details and deadlines.
