Medellín is preparing to celebrate the 2025 International Tango Festival to the sounds of Carlos Gardel.

On June 24, 1935, Carlos Gardel died in a plane crash in Medellín. That day, the city not only witnessed a tragedy, but also forever sealed an emotional and cultural bond with tango.

Ninety years later, Medellín is preparing to celebrate the life and legacy of Zorzal Criollo with the 19th edition of the International Tango Festival , which will take place from June 24 to 30, 2025, with free admission.

More than 40 free activities, international and local artists, singing and dancing competitions, master classes, and the traditional Tangovía in Manrique will transform the city into a vibrant stage where the tango continues to beat strong on every corner.

In conversation with Viviana Jaramillo, the festival's artistic director, it's clear that Medellín doesn't just remember: it reinvents and embraces tango as part of its deepest identity.

“Medellín, like Buenos Aires, has been a city of migrants. Tango lyrics narrated the emotions of those who arrived in search of a better life,” explains Jaramillo. This shared DNA, coupled with Gardel's death, forged an almost mystical connection with the genre.

While in Argentina tango faced periods of crisis, in Medellín it remained alive in homes , neighborhood stores, and public transportation.

“Gardel has become a part of our hearts, and that tradition continues to be passed down from generation to generation,” says the director, with emotion. Today, Medellín is a city where 4-year-olds dance the tango, and 15-year-olds sing it with passion.

Each edition of the festival is structured around a central theme. This year, the tribute to the 90th anniversary of Gardel's death will guide the program. But beyond the tributes, the festival offers a balanced look at tradition and avant-garde.

“Tango has evolved. We've blended it with electronic sounds, new instruments, and also new voices, especially women's,” says Jaramillo.

An example of this diversity will be seen on the Sunday of the festival. Uruguayans Lázaro Cócaro and Camilo Vega will perform a traditional repertoire on the same stage; then, groups such as LPS and MUTAR will explore the fusion of tango and electronic music; and finally, Franco Luciani's trio will take a turn with tango and harmonica.

This balance not only allows new generations to approach tango, it also expands the genre's creative possibilities. "Tangos composed in 1920 still sound relevant because they speak to the human condition . The difference is that now we have more tools to tell them from a different perspective," says the director.

One of the most anticipated events is the return of Tangovía in Manrique, a journey full of meaning where the streets become a dance floor.

Other venues include the Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater, the Carlos Vieco Open-Air Theater, the San Ignacio Cloister, and, of course, Plaza Gardel, located next to Olaya Herrera Airport, where Gardel died.

This plaza not only preserves memory: it's a living altar. The Gala Night "Gardel, 90 Years of Eternal Song" will be held there on June 24th, and the closing concert will be held on June 30th.

Viviana Jaramillo insists that the festival is not just a spectacle, but also an educational initiative. There will be master classes in music, dance, and singing, led by renowned national and international artists. In addition, the call for entries awarded 200 million pesos to more than 30 local artists that will be part of the program.

Talking about tango in Medellín also means talking about places that have stood the test of time. One of the most iconic is the Alaska bar, located in the Manrique neighborhood.

Founded 88 years ago, it has been a refuge for tango fans and a witness to love, joy, and nostalgia. Gustavo Rojas, its current owner, describes it as "a place where history is not forgotten and is passed on to new generations."

“The café connects people. Visitors always find someone to talk about tango with, dance with, share a memory, or a song,” Rojas says.

There, it's common to see spontaneous dancers who, to the rhythm of a bandoneon, take their dance shoes out of their bags and take to the improvised dance floor. These types of venues keep the culture alive, beyond the festival calendar.

The Alaska is located in one of the key tango spots in the city: Carrera 45, which in the 1970s housed more than 20 tango-themed businesses.

Another of the great landmarks is Bar Málaga, located in the city center, on Boyacá Avenue and 51st Street. Founded in 1957 by Gustavo Arteaga, the bar retains an atmosphere reminiscent of mid-20th-century Buenos Aires.

There you can listen to tangos on vinyl, look at old photos, savor stories told over drinks, and breathe in the utmost respect for the genre's legacy.

It is considered a living museum of tango, and its nostalgic decor is part of the ritual that many music lovers, tourists, and connoisseurs fervently enjoy.

At Bar Málaga, you dance, but above all, you listen. That's the premise. The place has established itself as one of Medellín's temples of urban music, where generations of fans gather to pay tribute to tango in attentive silence.

Its owner, Gustavo Arteaga Jr., has kept the space's original essence alive, championing active listening as an act of cultural resistance. Málaga is more than a bar: it's a pilgrimage site for those who understand that tango can also be honored through contemplation.

Marco Blandón, a renowned bandoneon player from Medellín, recalls his first encounter with tango. “I was a guitarist. A friend gave me an Astor Piazzolla record, and from then on, that sound captivated me . It took me almost a decade to get a bandoneon, but it was worth it,” he says. Today, he is one of the musicians who has benefited from the festival's educational program.

“Tango conveys every kind of feeling. It has technical complexity, but also a great deal of emotional power. That makes it unique,” ​​explains Blandón, who highlights how the festival motivated the creation of groups, provided access to master classes with internationally renowned artists, and boosted the local musical movement.

When he started, there were just one or two tango orchestras in the city. Today, there are more than seven, and more than ten dance companies, a sign of the festival's impact as an artistic hotbed.

Historically masculinized, tango is now experiencing a feminine revival. The Medellín Festival is an inclusive platform where women play a central role.

“Today, women direct festivals, teach classes, compose, and sing powerfully. We no longer demand space; we inhabit it with all our artistic capacity,” says Jaramillo.

This year 's dance competition judges are predominantly women. The same is true for the singing competition. Laura Bedoya, a tango historian, will also be present as a speaker.

"This festival is a space for us to begin to compose a new history from the perspective of women. And tango is a genre that lends itself to that. It allows us to narrate what our society is like today," the director adds firmly.

For Viviana Jaramillo, directing the International Tango Festival is more than a job: it's a passion. Her history with the genre began when she watched her grandparents dance, and she hasn't stopped loving it since. As a professional tango dancer with over 20 years of experience, she has taken the festival to new levels of exposure.

The challenge now, she says, is to plan ahead more in order to strengthen its international positioning. “The tango world moves very far in advance. Announcing the festival as soon as the current edition ends is key to getting more people to plan their trip to Medellín,” she asserts.

Because this city doesn't just listen to tango: it breathes it, lives it, and projects it . This year, with Gardel's memory as its guide, Medellín will once again ignite its tango heart with a festival that celebrates nostalgia , but also the future. A festival that is danced, sung, listened to, and, above all, felt.

ANGELA MARÍA PÁEZ RODRÍGUEZ - SCHOOL OF MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM EL TIEMPO.