On Wednesday, the WDF proudly revealed that this year’s World Darts Festival in Hungary just got even bigger – and better. In a major boost for inclusivity, the festival will now include both the World ParaDarts Masters and the World ParaDarts World Championships.
It’s a fantastic opportunity for talented players living with physical disabilities to step into the spotlight and show exactly what they’re made of – pure tungsten talent.
Operating under the wider WDF umbrella, many of the World ParaDarts members will now get the chance to test their mettle on one of the sport’s most prestigious European stages. It’s not just a win for those players, but for the sport itself, proving that excellence comes in every form – no matter what the disability.
Interim WDF President, Buddy Bartoletta spoke exclusively to Darts World on the historic announcement:
“We’re delighted to have added four ParaDarts competitions, including the World ParaDarts Masters and World ParaDarts World Championships, to the first World Darts Festival in Hungary.
“We have a World ParaDarts delegate within the WDF and many of our member federations include ParaDarts competitions as part of their ranking tournaments. So, giving the world’s best ParaDarts players the chance to compete alongside the World Masters was naturally something we always wanted to do when piecing the Festival together.
“We’re immensely grateful for the support of the Hungarian Darts Federation and Hungarian Government for making it a reality.”
The bustling Budapest schedule, runs from Saturday, October 25th to Sunday, November 2nd and is set to be a tungsten-packed nine days, now with the inclusion of the four World ParaDarts events, an even more meaningful one.
On Wednesday, October 29th, Germany’s Heiko Bohnhorst and Belgium’s Vincent D’Hondt will return to the oche with one clear objective: to defend the World ParaDarts Masters titles they earned back in January in Chelmsford. It’s never easy being the one everyone’s aiming for – but the Flemish flingers won’t be relinquishing their championship without a fight.
And then, just 24 hours later, D’Hondt will be back in action – this time alongside fellow Belgian Kurt Vandekerckhove as the pair attempt to hang on to their World Championship titles. Whether they leave Budapest with silverware or just a suitcase full of dart shirts and duty-free, they’ll once again prove that the ParaDarts circuit is as competitive, compelling, and downright classy as any in the game.
FULL 2025 WDF FESTIVAL OF DARTS SCHEDULE
October 25th: Hungarian Masters, GOLD-ranked for men and women, SILVER-ranked for boys and girls and World ParaDarts ranked tournaments for Standing and Wheelchair players
October 26th: Hungarian Classic, SILVER-ranked, SILVER-ranked for boys and girls (youth grading may change based on entries) and World ParaDarts ranked tournaments for Standing and Wheelchair players
October 27th: World Darts Festival Pairs
October 28th: World Darts Festival Mixed Triples
October 29th: World Masters Round-Robin (Adults), PLATINUM-ranked, World ParaDarts Masters (Standing & Wheelchair)
October 30th: World Masters Knockout (Adults), World Masters Round-Robin and Knockouts (Youth), World ParaDarts World Championships (Standing & Wheelchair)
October 31st: World Open, SILVER-ranked for men and women, PLATINUM-graded for Youth and Girls
November 1st: World Masters stage finals
November 2nd: 2025 WDF Lakeside World Championship Qualifiers (All categories)
—–ENDS—–
Images: Winmau
