The Argentine Embassy in Hungary is pleased to announce that Budapest proudly hosted the Preliminary Round of the 2025 Buenos Aires Tango World Championship.
Edited by Anna Popper
Budapest Danced to the Rhythm of Argentine Tango
For the first time, between 25-27 April 2025, Budapest welcomed the official Preliminary Round of the Buenos Aires Tango World Championship – the world’s most prestigious Argentine tango competition.
This year’s competition saw the Hungarian duo Andrea Serbán and Endre Szeghalmi claim victory in the official Tango de Pista category. The first prize was handed over by Her Excellency María Lorena Capra, Ambassador of Argentina to Hungary. The winners will represent Hungary and compete at the World Championship in Buenos Aires in August 2025.
Heartfelt congratulations to the winning couple, who run the Tango Libre dance school in Budapest (www.tangolibre.hu).
The Budapest Preliminary Round was successfully organised by Zsolt Szénási, Director of Tango Temptation (www.tangotemptation.com), with the support of the Argentine Embassy in Hungary. As part of an international network of venues, this event celebrates tango as a vibrant and evolving art form.
Budapest’s growing reputation as a tango hub in Central and Eastern Europe has made the city a key qualifying venue for the Argentine Tango World Championship.
Tango in Competition
The competition in Budapest featured the official “Tango de Pista” (salón-style tango) category, along with non-official categories such as “Milonga” and “Vals”. The event unfolded in three stages: qualifying, semi-finals, and final.
The prestigious international jury at the competition was composed of Neri Piliu, Julián Sánchez, Emmanuel Casal, Yanina Quiñones, Bruna Estellita, Yanina Muzyka, and Antonella Terrazas, all renowned figures from the global tango scene.
The director of the Buenos Aires Tango World Championship, Laura Mazzei, travelled specially from Argentina to attend this first edition in Budapest, to further strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
The winning couple of the Budapest Preliminary was awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to Buenos Aires, where they will compete in the final stages of the 2025 Tango World Championship, taking place between 13-26 August 2025.
More Than Just a Competition
Beyond the contest itself, the three-day celebration of the Budapest Preliminary Round became a true cultural festival and offered an array of tango-related activities, including milongas, classes, exhibitions, performances.
The official competition included the Tango de Pista (social tango) category, as well as unofficial categories such as Milonga and Vals, and featured participants from Hungary, Spain, Italy, and other European countries.
The excitement of the contest culminated in a spectacular Budapest Aires Tango Show, followed by an intense marathon of over 30 hours of tango dancing in the traditional Café Milonga and Gran Milonga formats, where music, dance, and passion intertwined in an unforgettable embrace.
This initiative is part of the efforts by the Embassy of Argentina in Hungary to promote inbound tourism linked to Argentine culture, in coordination with the National Secretariat of Tourism, thereby contributing to strengthening Argentina’s Country Brand in Central and Eastern Europe.
During the closing ceremony, Her Excellency Ms. Lorena Capra, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Hungary, expressed her deep gratitude to all those who made this event possible: Lidia Demján, OTP Travel for their support from the beginning; Zsolt Szénási and the Tango Temptation team for their impeccable organization; the Buenos Aires Tango World Championship Directorate for their collaboration; the international jury for their professionalism; and especially to all the couples who were the true protagonists of this tango and friendship story.
The Ambassador also emphasized that this is only the beginning of a path that has just begun and expressed her hope that next year Budapest will host another edition of the preparatory competition for the Buenos Aires Tango World Championship to further strengthen the bonds between Argentine culture and the Hungarian tango community.
The success of this competition in Budapest not only reflects the growth of Argentine tango in Central and Eastern Europe, but also marks a new chapter in cultural relations between Hungary and Argentina, reaffirming tango as a universal, cross-border heritage.
Tango Buenos Aires 2025
The Buenos Aires World Tango Championship is the largest global event dedicated to Argentine tango. Each year, it brings together renowned artists and emerging talent in a rich program featuring live orchestras, performances, films, book presentations, workshops, and milongas at iconic venues throughout Buenos Aires.
The Tango World Cup Final will take place in Buenos Aires on 26 August 2025, and will be broadcast live worldwide.
Tango’s Recent Renaissance
Tango is an essential part of Argentina’s cultural identity and deeply rooted in the streets of Buenos Aires and the Río de la Plata region. Originating in the late 19th century from a blend of European, African, and indigenous influences, tango evolved from a dance of working-class barrios into a global phenomenon. Since the 1990s, tango has experienced a remarkable revival both in Buenos Aires and around the world. In recognition of its cultural significance, tango was added to UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
Source: Embassy of the Republic of Argentina in Hungary
Photos by the Embassy of the Republic of Argentina in Hungary, Tango Temptation, tangolibre.hu
