Tango Market festival attracts young attendees with free entry, reviving interest in dance culture

The Tango Market festival, typically attended by middle-aged or older guests, has seen an influx of younger visitors this year. This year, the festival offered free entry to 18-24 year-olds on Thursday. Many of these young attendees, like Daniel Söderström and Akseli Björkstrand from Kokkola, were first-time visitors, lured to the festival by the free entrance. The pair were impressed with the festival’s atmosphere and contemplated staying for another day, particularly interested in the performance by Yölinnu on Friday.

First-time attendees from Helsinki and Seinäjoki, Sirja Vinkkinen and Joonatan Hyrkäs, also enjoyed their experience. Both were excited to return in the future, even considering bringing their parents along. Thursday’s festival featured a performance by the dance orchestra Komiat, which many young attendees discovered through social media. Hyrkäs believes Komiat’s performance was a big draw for the younger crowd.

Many young adults, like Seinäjoki locals Miika Kara and Jenni Nissi, who already had tickets for Friday’s tango street, were excited about the opportunity to experience the tango culture. Both have noticed an upward trend in dance culture among young adults. Senni Salli from Seinäjoki, a veteran of the Tango Market festival and a regular at dance halls since she was 16, believes that it’s great that younger people are being encouraged to take up dancing.

The decision to invite young people for free was made in hopes of attracting a younger crowd, a strategy other festivals have used to attract older attendees. According to Pasi Ojala, CEO of the Tango Market, the initiative was a success with an estimated 1,200 visitors under the age of 25 attending the festival.

This year’s Tango Market is the third since the pandemic, which has significantly reduced attendance. In 2019, the festival attracted 111,000 visitors, while last year the number was only 45,000. Ojala remains optimistic about the festival’s future, even if attendance doesn’t reach over 100,000 again, and hopes that young people will show more interest in tango and dance hall culture.