The Tangomarkkinat is the world’s oldest tango festival. It is held early every July in Seinäjoki, Finland. As well as competitions to find the country’s best tango singers, composers, and dancers, the festival features public dancing to live music provided by the best Finnish entertainers. Music for public dancing is not restricted to tango: it includes all the dance rhythms popular in Finland: but tango content must, according to the rules, be at least 40%.

About 18,000 people took part in the first Tangomarkkinat in July 1985, and over 1.5 million people watched the TV broadcast.

The tango singing competition is open to both men and women. In 1985 and 1986 just one winner was chosen, and the winners in both years were men. In 1987 it was decided that a male and a female winner would be chosen. The selection process starts with heat held all over Finland.

Until 1991 ten finalists (5 men and 5 women) were sent to Seinäjoki, where 2 men and 2 women were eliminated in the televised “semifinal final” on the Friday of the Tangomarkkinat. On Saturday, on the “final final”, the Tango King and Queen were chosen, the runners-up being Princes and Princesses. Since 1992 a semifinal has been held in Raisio, near Turku, where 20 semifinalists are reduced to 10. This too is televised. Since 2002 the Raisio judges have chosen 12 finalists, from whom the viewers vote for their 10 favorites.

According to the wikipedia