Dance marathoners in Ackerman Grand Ballroom are moving on to bigger digs this year -- Pauley Pavilion. And the money they raise to fight pediatric HIV/AIDS will go for the first time to a UCLA student-run outreach effort, in addition to the organizations they have supported since 2002.

It's UCLA’s largest student fund-raising event, having raised roughly $3.5 million in only a dozen years to fight pediatric HIV/AIDS. Now the event — and its community impact — are about to get even bigger.

UCLA Dance Marathon is moving to Pauley Pavilion, UCLA’s largest indoor venue.

“It’s like, ‘We’ve made it,’” said Andrew Ho, a fourth-year psychobiology major and two-time president of the Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA, the organizer of the Dance Marathon. “People are excited.”

The new venue will enable about 2,700 people to participate — an 80% increase over the crowd that the old venue, Ackerman Grand Ballroom, accommodated last year.

It's been an annual UCLA student tradition for thousands. Backed by pledges of cash from friends and family, students stay on their feet for 26 hours — one hour for every mile in a marathon — to raise money for pediatric HIV/AIDS organizations.   “To have the university acknowledge that you’re worthy of such a historic venue is an honor,” said Ho.

Such an honor, in fact, that nearly 100 alumni from past organizing committees are flying in to participate.

“When they founded UCLA Dance Marathon in 2002, moving to Pauley was their dream,” said Ho. “Now they get to book their plane tickets and celebrate with us.”

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 5, the dancing will begin.

Hoping for more of a celebratory community gathering than a rave, organizers are excited for the change of vibe. “Pauley has such an cool, open atmosphere,” Ho said. “If you don’t feel like pumping your fists for 26 hours, the venue offers space for other things.” The increased concourse space will accommodate supplementary activities like educational sessions on HIV/AIDS, dance lessons from UCLA’s biggest dance groups and, one of the most gratifying aspects of the event, meeting with beneficiaries of the research. But the dancers have to stay on their feet even if they aren't on the dance floor.

Pauley's additional restrooms and improved ventilation won’t hurt, either.

With the cost of producing the event covered by donations and grants, 100 percent of the funds raised during the event in the past went to three organizations: the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Project Kindle, a Santa Clarita camp for children infected or affected by HIV, and the UCLA AIDS Institute.

While continuing its support of those groups this year, the Pediatric AIDS Coalition is also funding its own outreach program, working directly with older teenagers affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.   “We want to become an organization that puts on our own programs and raises money, not just raises money and donates it,” said Ho.

The camp that Pediatric AIDS Coalition supports, Camp Kindle, only accepts youths up to age 16. So there’s a need to maintain a connection with older teenagers after they “age” out. “It’s a weird time of transition for them,” said Ho. “They’re entering the world of becoming self-sufficient adults, dating and applying to college. We wanted to maintain those relationships.”

So a portion of funds will now go toward a weekend-long Life Skills Retreat that UCLA students will lead for older teens. There will be workshops on topics like resume writing, applying to college, cooking and having a love life.

“A lot of them are HIV-positive, so being open about who they are can feel like a big burden,” Ho said. “A lot of them also have zero guidance, but they’re very capable of going to good schools and bringing great diversity to those schools.” The group is also looking to connect with more L.A.-based organizations to expand its reach.