Tango Magia Festival
| Tango Magia Festival | |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Amsterdam, Netherlands
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| Organizer(s) | |
Introduction
The Tango Magia Festival (also known as Tangomagia) is a notable annual international tango event held in Amsterdam. The festival typically takes place between Christmas and New Year's Eve, from December 27th to 30th.
History
The first Tangomagia festival was held in 1997. The festival quickly gained popularity due to its comprehensive program that includes workshops, tango-cafés, and milongas. Participants had the opportunity to learn from renowned Argentinian maestros and enjoy live music performances. The music at the festival has always emphasized traditional tango, with daily tango-cafés and evening milongas followed by after-parties continuing into the early morning.
In 2013, Tangomagia included a special concert at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, which opened the event to non-dancers who wanted to enjoy the music. However, due to significant financial losses, the organizing foundation Stichting Zandunga declared bankruptcy in 2014. Despite this, a new organization, the Dutch International Tangoweek foundation, was established in 2015 to promote Argentine tango in the Netherlands.
Program
The festival featured:
- Workshops from Argentinian maestros
- Tango-cafés in the afternoons
- Milongas in the evenings with performances and live music
- After-parties to allow visitors to return home by train
Locations
Over the years, Tangomagia used various venues in Amsterdam:
- Crea for workshops
- Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ
- De Duif (a church)
- Hotel Arena for milongas
- Beurs van Berlage and Meervaart in earlier years
In 2013, the festival's venues included:
- De Kompaszaal for the opening
- Het Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ for the main evening
- Dansmakers aan het IJ (former Kromhout plant) as the festival's heart
- De Duif for the final evening