Come for the battle — stay for the vibe!

Get ready for the heat, the energy, and the creativity that only a true Up North Battle can bring. This is where the community comes together to create magic on the floor. From intense 1-on-1 battles to powerful showcases, there’s room for every style, every level, and every story.

Prepare for a weekend filled with dance, energy, and community. Come for the battle — stay for the vibe!

Up North Battle är en energifylld danshelg där community, kreativitet och hiphop står i centrum. Evenemanget bjuder på intensiva 1-mot-1-battles, Showcase Competition för grupper samt Breaking Seven to Smoke. Alla stilar och nivåer är välkomna, från nybörjare till erfarna battlare. Tävlingarna leds av MC Ingrid Mugalu och präglas av stark stämning, musik och personligt uttryck. Kom för dansen – stanna för vibben!

Battle categories

Freestyle Battle – 1 vs 1

Rookie Battle – 1 vs 1

Showcase Competition – crew

Breaking – Seven to Smoke

We are excited to welcome MC Ingrid Mugalu as host of Up North Battle!

Jury – Freestyle Battle, Rookie Battle & Showcase Competition: 
Bgirl Mononoke / Afrik 
Freddie Fresh 
Tr3sa 

Jury – Breaking Seven to Smoke: 
Bgirl Mononoke / Afrik 
Siiri Korkeamäki
Ramona 

Battle DJs 
Saturday: DJ Cheza 
Sunday: DJ Slowz

Prizes

Winner in each category gets an Up North Battle 2026 trophy!

Cash prizes!

Freestyle Battle

1^st 10 000 SEK

2^nd 3000 SEK

Showcase Competition

1^st prize 4000 SEK

Breaking Seven to Smoke

1^st 3 500 SEK

2^{nd –} 8^th 500 SEK

What is Showcase Competition?

Showcase Competition is the perfect opportunity for you and your crew to compete with your own choreography. You choose your own moves with your own choice of music. Minimum 2 crew members, maximum 5 minute long routine. The jury will judge choreography, musicality, technique, composition and overall charisma. Let the best crew win!

Category is full when we reach 10 competing crews.

About our battles

In our Freestyle Battle all styles are welcome! You battle with your strongest style/styles but might end up facing someone with a completely different style. The DJ can either play the music that suits you or challenges you. All in all, it is a recipe for a fun and diverse battle where anything could happen! This category is intended for experienced dancers of any style who have previous battle experience.

The battle for Freestyle and Rookie will start with a battle preselection. Dancers will meet 1 vs 1 with 2 solo each, 45 seconds. The judges select the best dancers from each category to go on to the next round. The number of dancers who gets picked depends on the number of dancers competing in the preselection. The battle continues with 1 vs 1 with 2 solos each in quarter finals, semifinals and finals until we have one winner! The judges are not just looking for technical skill (though that’s important too), they want to see your passion, your creativity, and how you vibe with the music.

Rookie Battle

If you’re new to the battle scene – challenge yourself and sign up for Rookie Battle!

Up North Battle is about growth, about pushing yourself to new limits, and sharing the dance floor with a community of dancers who’ve got your back. There’s no cash prize in Rookie Battle, it’s all about your growth and personal experience. However, a winner will be declared, taking the title and claiming 1st place!

You battle with your strongest style/styles but might end up facing someone with a completely different style. The DJ can either play the music that suits you or challenges you. All in all, it is a recipe for a fun and diverse battle where anything could happen!

It’s not possible to compete in both Freestyle Battle and Rookie Battle. The judges are allowed to move you from the Rookie category to the Freestyle Battle after the preselection. 

Breaking Seven to Smoke

Every round is a test of creativity, technique, and endurance, with each dancer trying to outdo the other with their best moves and most explosive energy. It’s all about who can smoke the others out and be the last winner standing. 

Eight breakers qualify from a cypher preselection to enter the Seven to Smoke. They line up, and the first two battle one round each. The winner earns a point and stays to face the next challenger; the loser goes to the back of the line. A breaker wins immediately by reaching seven points—either consecutively or overall. If no one reaches seven before time runs out, the breaker with the most points at the end is declared the winner.

Kids Takeover

This is a non-competitive category where all kids get to take over the battle floor. Enjoy good music, vibes and groove it out together!

Participants in the Kids Battle Workshop (6 years and up) will end their session on the battle floor in Black Box. Welcome to join the groove whether you’ve participated in the workshop or not!

Armed&Robbery 

“We got sick of all the TikTok rap
So sick – we decided to bring hip-hop back”

Old school soul food, rappity-rap

For a few years now, Armed&Robbery has tried to resuscitate the old school, on stages from Skellefteå to Stockholm. They’re definitely not afraid to be braggadocious, but neither are they afraid to be vulnerable, funny, or downright dumb.  If you miss their live set, you’ll miss them entirely. Because these certified, card-carrying weirdos REFUSE to put music out through any normal means. This hip-hop duo is a live-only type deal.

Need a place to stay?

Need a place to stay?

Update – free accommodation and single rooms at Hotel 1861 is fully booked!

Want to join the Up North bus trip?

Competing dancers are welcome to travel with us for free on our Stockholm–Umeå round trip bus. Seats are limited and allocated on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Sign up for the bus via the registration. 

The bus departs from Stockholm Central Station on Friday, May 8 at 15:00.

The return trip leaves from Operaplan 5, Umeå, on Sunday, May 10 at 16:30.

Registration is now open!