Seinajoki Tango Festival

Finland took up the tango in the twentieth century and made it into something distinct: slower, in a minor key, with lyrics about longing, distance and the north, and it became the popular dance music of the country. The Tangomarkkinat has been held in Seinajoki every July since 1985 and is the centre of it, four days of concerts, dancing and a singing competition whose winners are crowned tango king and queen and go on to careers on the strength of it. The town fills with tens of thousands of people, dance floors are set up outdoors, and the final crowning is broadcast nationally. Outside the festival week the town is ordinary.

What you actually see

• The crowning of the king and queen - the singing competition final.
• Outdoor dance floors - social dancing through the festival.
• Finnish tango repertoire - the minor-key songs the form is built on.
• A town of tens of thousands of visitors - the scale of the event.

When to go

Four days in July; dates are announced well ahead. A weekend. Accommodation across the region books out months in advance. Tickets go on sale early.

Honest expectations

It happens once a year and there is nothing tango-related in the town outside it. Accommodation is gone months ahead and prices rise. The songs are in Finnish and the appeal depends on being willing to dance rather than watch.

Nearby

The Aalto Centre is in the town; Vaasa lies west.