As part of the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the South American Hungarian folk dance movement, the 16th South American Hungarian Folk Dance Festival was held in Santiago de Chile on 19 January 2026. The event provides an opportunity for Hungarian communities across the continent to meet and to nurture their traditions.
The festival was opened by Péter Szilágyi, Deputy State Secretary for National Policy at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Ambassador Edit Bucsi‑Szabó. Accompanied by the Bürkös Folk Band, 150 dancers – dressed in traditional costumes – from 10 folk dance groups representing Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay performed the folk music and dance motifs of various Hungarian regions. The performers had spent two years preparing for the event, aiming to present their very best to an audience of 700.
For the Hungarian communities of South America, dance and song are key to preserving identity and strengthening unity. The presence of many young dancers at the festival is a promising sign for the continuation of Hungarian cultural traditions and the vitality of the Latin American folk dance movement.
