Typically waltzes or hambos will be used to start and finish each half, and may also be used to provide breaks in the evening. Contras tend to include lots of swings. Dances are done 18 or 20 times through and the break between dances lasts only long enough to change partners. The norm is for everyone to change partners after every dance - the scene is definitely not couple based. This makes it much easier for a single person to come in and dance, however it can make finding a partner for the next dance something of a rush.
Reels seem to be more popular than jigs.
The dancers There is a wide spread of ages. Perhaps most similar to the English ceilidh scene in this respect. As I have already mentioned, it is far less couple based than the English dance scene. There is some limited overlap with the ECD scene, however the two dance scenes provide very different dance experiences so a lot of people only do one or the other. The bands Often fiddle led and often with a piano providing the rhythm.