FINtango is the first and only Finnish tango festival in Germany. On October 15, 2016 the festival will turn Hamburg’s St. Pauli into Little Finland. The first FINtango festival began in Hamburg in 2013 and has since expanded to seven northern and eastern German cities with over 8,000 visitors. The festival is known for it’s cozy and merry atmosphere: you can be yourself here and feel free to do as you like. There are no prerequisites: Finnish tango is easy to learn, but you only dance if you want to. The most important thing is to be comfortable!
© FINtango Festival
The FINtango Festival is the perfect opportunity to discover many of St. Pauli’s legendary bars and clubs such as the Pudel Club, the former Egal Bar, Komet, and the Kogge, while at the same time discovering the specialities of Finland. Finnish food and drinks will be available at all the event locations. Have you ever tried Rantakala (a traditional fish soup)? How about a delicious Korvapuusti (cinnamon roll) for desert? A Voileipakkku (veggie sandwich) for the vegetarians. Wash it down with a Lakka (a sweet cloudberry drink) or perhaps a traditional Sima (a sparkling mead-like beverage).
© FINtango Festival
The main dancing areas will be the sauna (yes, there is a Finnish sauna at the festival) and „chill out area“ in the Park Fiction as well as the churchyard in St. Pauli. The live concerts and dance courses will take place next door at the ballroom in the Koelibri and Hein-Koellisch Platz.
Among the many groups performing at the festival this year is director Aki Kaurismaki’s favorite band Vallilan Tango. Vallilan Tango is a seven piece band from the working class quarter in Helsinki who magically recreate the dancehall atmosphere of the 1930s with their performances. The group will perform at 7:30pm in the Kolibri. There will be many other live acts and DJs bringing us to the modern electro tango style, from tango-jazz accordion master Arne Gloe to Finland’s most famous DJs: the electro avantgarde music of DJ Vilunki and surprising sounds of DJ Tixa and many others.
© FINtango Festival
