Bloc Party 2025

CITY BLOC PRESENTS

book your spot

THIS EVENT HAS NOW ENDED BUT YOU CAN CHECK OUT OUR EVENT WRITE UP HERE

BLOC PARTY 25 WRITE UP

BLOC PARTY 2025 – SAT 8TH NOVEMBER

One day bouldering comp with blocs set by guest setter Jack Busato. Compete for cash prizes and a shot at the Showcase Finals, or just climb for fun with prizes across all levels. Either way, there’s a beer after, loads of sponsor freebies, and a fancy dress prize for good measure.

£3500 Prize Pot
30 Qualifier Blocs
Sponsor Prizes
DJs
Food at 4pm

Sponsor Stalls
Qualifiers Prizes
Bloc Party T-shirt
Free Drink at Finals
Fancy Dress Prize

We’re back for our 15th year. If you’re new to Bloc Party, welcome!

We’re running two qualifier sessions, morning (10:30-13:30) and afternoon (14:00-17:00), so pick whichever works for you. Each competitor will tackle 25 problems: 20 shared blocs, plus either 5 “Gold Diggaz” problems or 5 “Grafters” problems.

Pick your path: “Gold Diggaz” if you’re chasing the cash and a shot at the Showcase Finals, or “Grafters” for a more relaxed vibe on easier blocs with prizes across multiple categories. Grafters don’t advance to finals, but there’s still plenty to win.

The top 8 female and top 8 male Gold Diggaz climbers will advance to the Showcase Finals where they’ll compete on problems set by Jack Busato for that £3500 prize pot.

Throughout the day we’ll have free prize giveaways, stalls to check out, and free Tenzing and North Star Batch brew to keep you caffeinated.

Food will be served at 4pm, then stick around for the finals at 6pm. Every spectator gets a free beer courtesy of Northern Monk (non-alcoholic options available).

We want as many spectators as possible – the more people, the better the atmosphere. Bring the energy.

Get your tickets in advance and you’ll get one of our Bloc Party T-shirts, they’ve become a bit of a thing over the years.

Perk alert: If you’re a City Bloc unlimited annual or monthly passholder, you get a discounted member ticket. Drop us a message at [email protected] for the discount code or grab your ticket next time you’re at City Bloc.

BOOK YOUR SPOT

Gold Diggaz – Advanced Female & Male Category:

1st Place: £1000
2nd Place: £500
3rd Place: £250

Grafters (quallies only) – Range of Categories:

1st, 2nd & 3rd Place: Prizes TBC

Male, Female, Paraclimber Male & Female, Open, Masters (45+) Male, & Female, Youth Under 16 Male & Female

Fancy Dress Prize (the most important one):

£100 shopping voucher awarded to the most creatively dressed individual

EVENT DETAILS

Check out the schedule, categories, format, pricing, for Bloc Party 2025 below

Qualifiers

9.30am: doors open
10:30pm – 1:30pm: Session 1
2.00pm – 5.00pm: Session 2
Each competitor will attempt 25 problems across the main circuit, with 20 shared problems and either 5 “Gold Diggaz” (elite) or 5 “Grafters” (easier) blocs.

FOOD, PRIZEGIVING & FINALS (approx times)

4pm: Food

5.45pm: Finalists announced and Category Prizes

6pm: Showcase Finals
The top 8 men and 8 women from the semi-finals will compete on 4 men’s and 4 women’s problems to determine the Bloc Party 2025 champions.

8:30pm – Winners Podium

GRAFTERS CATEGORIES (Qualifiers Only)

For climbers who want a more relaxed competition. Top performers get prizes but don’t progress to finals

15 and Under (Male & Female)
16+ (Male & Female)
45+ (Male & Female)
Open Category

GOLD DIGGAZ (Advanced Category)

Compete for a place in the showcase finals and the big prize pot

Top 8 Female advance to finals
Top 8 Male advance to finals

Each competitor will attempt 30 blocs during the qualifiers, consisting of 25 shared problems and either 5 elite “Gold Diggaz” or 5 easier “Grafters” blocs.

In the Qualifiers round, you’ll have 3 attempts per problem, with scoring as follows:
• 1st Attempt: 10 points
• 2nd Attempt: 7 points
• 3rd Attempt: 4 points

All entries include a Bloc Party t-shirt and free drink at finals (beer or soft drink).

General Entry: £30

City Bloc Unlimited Passholders: £20

BOOK YOUR SPOT

Registration

All competitors must be sufficiently experienced to climb without supervision and complete a centre registration before the event. We’ve made it super easy for you, just keep an eye out for the registration link in your booking confirmation email. We rolled out new new software in August 2023, so if you haven’t climbed at the Bloc since then you’ll need to give us a quick re-register here.

Supervising Adults

If you’re an adult planning to take on the competition and also keeping an eye on participants under 18, there’s a little paperwork to tackle. You’ll need to fill out both the Adult registration form and the Under 18 form for the young climbers you’re supervising.

This ensures that all participants, regardless of age, are properly registered and accounted for during the event.

Participants under the age of 18

Supervision

Any participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult unless they have undergone a junior assessment. An adult can supervise up to two under 18 participants, and supervising adults must be present in the building for the full event.

Junior Assessment

For climbers aged 14 to 17, we have the junior assessment option. This assessment allows them to register as Junior Unsupervised, meaning they can compete without a supervising adult in the centre. Junior assessments need to be signed off before the event, on the day we won’t be able to do assessments due to our jam-packed schedule. To arrange a junior assessment, drop us an email at [email protected] or enquire at reception.

Age Recommendations

While there’s no strict minimum age for competitors, we generally suggest that climbs are suitable for those aged 14 and above. However, younger climbers are more than welcome if they want to join in the fun. Just keep in mind that there aren’t any specially tailored climbing problems for younger children. They’ll be taking on the same qualifying circuit designed for adults. While we aim for a fun and inclusive competition, it is primarily structured for adults. So, if you’re thinking of bringing a very young participant, just be mindful of this.

For Supervising Adults Who Are Not Competing

For those responsible adults who are keeping an eye on participants under 18 but aren’t planning to compete themselves, here’s the lowdown:

Firstly, there’s no fee for supervising adults who are not competing. We genuinely appreciate your support in making sure our younger participants stay safe and sound.

However, and here’s the catch, supervising adults who aren’t taking part in the competition won’t get the free t-shirt or the free spectator drink. Those perks are exclusively for ticket holders. We hope you understand, and we want to give you a well-deserved pat on the back for stepping up to supervise a day-long competition.

Guidelines for External Coaches Bringing Climbing Groups to Bloc Party

We warmly welcome external coaches who intend to bring climbing groups to Bloc Party. Safety and adherence to industry standards are our top priorities. The guidelines and requirements for external coaches can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about booking for Bloc Party:

Absolutely, you have the flexibility to make changes to your booking, such as swapping qualifier session times or competitor details. Any issues just drop us a line [email protected].

If you are completing a booking on behalf of another participant, please ensure that you fill out the initial section with the competitor’s details (name, date of birth etc). This helps us match up the registration form for each participant and ensure a smooth check-in process at the event.

Yes, we offer full refunds for cancellations made at least 48 hours before the event, which gives us time to resell your ticket.

Our events are community focused and operate on tight margins without generating profit. Unfortunately, we cannot provide refunds for cancellations made within 48 hours of the event, as we’re unable to resell the ticket in time to cover costs.

Ticket Sales

Our event has this knack for reaching full capacity before the event date. So, here’s a friendly nudge, we strongly encourage you to grab your tickets in advance to avoid any last-minute disappointments.

We don’t have a formal waiting list, but if we’re sold out, keep an eye on our social media channels. We post any ticket availability if cancellations happen.

Your presence and your enthusiasm are not just welcome, they’re required and there’s no charge for admission.

We do have a little small print: If things get really busy we might need to limit the number of non-ticket holding spectators to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment. If you’re planning to do a bit of climbing while you’re down, you’ll need to register with us and pay the entry fee. The free T-shirts and prizes are, reserved for our Bloc Party ticket holders. So, while you won’t get those goodies, you’ll still get to soak up all the excitement.

While we’ll do our best to accommodate last-minute entries in case of cancellations, we can’t guarantee availability. Our event fills up quickly, and we’ve got strict capacity measures in place to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s not advisable to show up on the day without a pre-purchased ticket due to high demand and limited on the day spots. Plan ahead and secure your tickets in advance to avoid potential disappointment. Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated. If you have questions or need more info, drop us a line at [email protected].

We get it, life happens, and plans can change. If you find yourself needing to cancel your tickets on the day of the event, we want to be upfront with you, we won’t be able to process ticket refunds at that point. If you foresee any changes, consider cancelling or modifying your tickets well in advance of the event date. This gives a chance to release tickets to other eager participants.