Buenos Aires Events and Festivals

Argentine Crafts and Traditions Fair: each Sunday and on bank holidays, this fair brings the country to the city with dance, music and craft workshops. Many items, such as silver, wood and textile crafts, are for sale.

Buenos Aires Tango Festival: late in the month, more than 150 performers come to the city to give over 100 free shows and concerts. The dramatic finals of the Metropolitan Ballroom Tango Championship are the highlight of this festival.

Marathon for Women: popular among fitness buffs around the world, this marathon coincides with International Women’s Day festivities.

Buenos Aires Book Festival: stretching over three weeks, this festival attracts over a million book lovers to the La Rural exhibition complex.

Feria de Galerias de Arte: also known as the ATRE BA, this event showcases Argentine painters, sculptors, photographers and videographers at the Predio Ferial de Palmero.

Anniversary of Carlos Gardel’s Death: a week of tango events around the city celebrate the anniversary of this famous tango vocalist’s death.

FIA World Rally Championship: the Argentine leg of the world circuit of rally racing offers some of the roughest terrain on the circuit. More than a million spectators come each year to watch the rally cars rip it up.

Snow Carnival: this month sees the peak of the ski season in Argentina. Many Porteños make an exodus to the country’s ski resorts to enjoy this snow festival, which has torch-lit ski parades, ski jumping and other competitions. The coronation of the Snow Queen is a big highlight.

Teatro Colon Opera: this opera house opened in 1908 with a production of Verdi’s Aida and now offers a year-round schedule of world-class performances. This month brings a special emphasis on the theatre and it attracts many famous singers.

World Tango Festival: this week-long celebration features nightly performances by some of the planet’s greatest tango dancers. The masters also teach workshops during the day to aspiring tango dancers.

International Guitar Festival: since first opening in 1995, this music festival has attracted guitar musicians from around the world who come and perform their skills. Many different genres of music are on offer and all performances are free.

Argentine Open Championship: beginning at the end of the month, polo fans from around the world flock to Buenos Aires for one of the premier events in the polo calendar. It is the world’s fifth oldest polo competition and was first played here in 1893.

Buenos Aires Gay Pride Weekend: early in the month, one weekend marks the formation in 1969 of the country’s first gay assembly. Thousands of people participate in this colourful event which features a parade with floats and lots of drag queens.

International Tango Festival: not to be confused with a similar festival in October, this week-long event at the beginning of the month confirms that tango is still a major priority in the hearts and minds of Porteños.

National Tango Day: the country’s national symbol gets special attention on 11 December when it celebrates the birthday of the tango legend Carlos Gardel. The city completely turns its attention to tango on this day and schedules dozens of related events.