Festival FAQs

What are the venues like?

The Hell Gate Elks Lodge #383 in Missoula is the main venue for the Montana Tango Festival. It was built in 1911 and features a ballroom with a beautiful wooden dance floor where the majority of the milongas are held. Additional spaces include a room downstairs with a small dance floor for classes and private lessons. Some of the classes and private lessons will take place a couple blocks away from the Elks Lodge is the Florence Hotel ballroom on the original parquet floor. The Florence was built in 1941 and features beautiful Art Deco design. Other private lessons will be held at Montana Moonlight studios which is just a couple of blocks away from the Elks lodge on Broadway. This small studio has a great dance floor and floor length mirrors on one wall. For more information about the festival venues, visit the Venues page!
What is the distance between the venues?

All of the venues for the Montana Tango Festival are within easy walking or biking distance. The Elks, the Florence, and Montana Moonlight Studios are all within a 3 block radius of each other.
Do I need to rent a car?

The main venue for the festival is a quick 15-minute Uber ride from the Missoula airport. Missoula has a great public bus system that is free to use. Additionally, downtown Missoula is incredibly walkable and bike-friendly. All of the venues are within a 3-block radius of each other, with the exception of the yurt for the Thursday night milonga. If you do not have a vehicle, sign up on the ride share sheet linked below to catch a ride out to the yurt for our opening night milonga! Ride Share Sheet
Is the festival role balanced?

We don't enforce a role balance at the Montana Tango Festival, but the last couple of years we have had a great balance of leaders and followers. We are fortunate to have a community of followers who also enjoy leading, and we love to encourage dual-role dancers to attend our festival.
How big is the festival? How many people attend?

The first year of the Montana Tango Festival, we had ____people from ___different countries. In 2024, we had _____ We expect this year to be even bigger while still maintaining our friendly and cozy atmosphere.
Are there classes other than tango offered?

Yes! We make sure to include classes such as yoga and kinesiology to keep you dancing all weekend long. In addition, there are other opportunities for activities such as hiking, soaking in the local hot springs, forest bathing, and mushroom hunting! Visit the Activities page for more information!