For a buzzling city like Buenos Aires, summer is actually when it is out of its character. It is the time for vacations since school is out, and due to the hot weather, it is also the seasonal escape for many city dwellers who tend to flee to cooler cities with beaches in the south. For these reasons, the streets are significantly emptier and quieter. ‘We are closed for vacations’ signs are commonly seen on business doors. The locals always joke that when you are able to easily get a seat on the bus or the subway, you know summer is here!
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean nothing is going on in the city. In fact, this is also the time for the classic 6-week long cultural event, Verano en la Ciudad! Starting this Saturday Jan. 12 till Sunday Feb. 24, it is an annual Summer program organized by the city government, offering a jam-packed schedule of over 100 activities that range from music shows to circus performances and from milongas to drive-in movies. The best thing is that all of them are FREE!
The events happen all over the city on different days at different times, and all of them take place outdoor at parks and plazas. Some of the events do repeat, offering several viewing times, but some are one-time only. So make sure to check out their schedule here and plan your day in advance.
On top of this, the city government also brings us Buenos Aires Playa. Since Buenos Aires does not have beaches, the government is creating our own artificial sand beaches! Inspired by Le Paris Plage along el Seine, we’ll have 2 man-made beaches at 2 locations next to Rio de La Plata from January 11 – March 3: Parque de los Niños in the north end, and Parque Roca in the south end. The beaches will be well-equipped with sunshades, beach chairs, cabana beds, showers, wifi zone, football/volleyball courts, reading lounge etc. There will also be a range of activities to keep you busy, like dance classes, spinning classes, live shows and so on. For more information, check out their very fun website here.
If you can’t make it out to these beaches, several parks and plazas in the city will also be converted into sunbathing oasis, equipped with sunshades and beach chairs. FREE access to all and they are open on the weekends (Friday – Sunday) 10am – 8pm. The locations are:
Plaza de las Naciones Unidas – Av. Figueroa Alcorta y Juan A. Biblioni, Recoleta
Plaza Rubén Darío – Av. del Libertador y Austria, Recoleta
Plaza Almagro – Perón y Salguero, Almagro
Plaza Boedo – Sánchez de Loria y Carlos Calvo, Boedo
Plaza Giordano Bruno – Giordano Bruno y Neuquén, Caballito
Parque Rivadavia – Ingreso por Rosario y Viel, Caballito
Plaza Roque Sáenz Peña – Av. Juan B. Justo y Boyacá, Villa Mitre
Palermo – Av. Figueroa Alcorta y La Pampa, Palermo
Parque Las Heras – Av. Las Heras y Av. Coronel Díaz, Palermo
Rosedal – Av. Sarmiento y Av. Figueroa Alcorta, Palermo
Isabel
