And finally it was the opening night of the much-awaited UK Tango Festival and Championship 2018! This year promised to be even better than before, with a new location and many more hours of dancing. And it delivered!

The grand Porchester Hall in Bayswater has the perfect space and floor for the most demanding dancers. And it was full – people from all over Europe, locals and some from across the ocean too.

The championship has an unprecedented number of participants in both categories: 29 in pista and 11 in stage. The UK Pista and Stage competitions are both ‘official’, which means that both UK crowned champions will compete at the semi-finals of the Mundiale to be held in Buenos Aires in August. All under the care of our special host presenters – Ralph Cohen and Victoria Fischer.

THE FESTIVAL

After the competition, it was time for the Festival to open. The director, Luciano Brizzi, introduced the first guest DJ from Argentina – Horacio Godoy, who accompanied dancers all the way with amazing tandas until the early hours.

Backstage, competition participants cooled down, congratulating each other, talking through their performances and mentally moving on to the festival in full swing outside.

At midnight another highlight of the festival: Noelia and Carlito. The internationally renowned artists performed 4 songs to the ongoing cheer from the crowd. What dancing! And the crowd loved it. You can watch the video of the performance on our Facebook page.

Doors closed at 0230hrs. Lights out folks, until tomorrow!