It’s election weekend in Buenos Aires. That means veda electoral on Saturday night (i.e., no drinking or partying) and, if you’re a politics buff, Sunday afternoon get-togethers to follow exit polls and election results. If you’re looking for alternatives, however, here are our top picks for the weekend.
5th Borges Festival October 27 to November 1
Alliance Française — Av. Córdoba 946.
Free admission with prior registration here.
Labyrinths, tigers, time, metaphysics… The festival that celebrates Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina’s greatest writer, features public conversations with renowned international authors such as Juan Villoro (México), Hervé Le Tellier (France), Sylvia Iparaguirre (Argentina), and José Edmundo Paz-Soldán Ávila (Bolivia).
The festival is hybrid, with more than a dozen conferences and activities at the Alliance Française auditorium and online material via their YouTube channel. The festival will celebrate topics of Borges’ literature such as love, politics, and journalism, as well as his connection with the United States and his passion for English-written literature. Other conferences by local experts and scholars will tap into his relationship with writer Adolfo Bioy Casares and his poetry.
The Borges Experience includes a walking tour of Buenos Aires, a tango show, an adaptation of a Hannah Schygulla theater play starring Andrea Bonelli, and a public interview with musician Kevin Johansen.
Festival Latitudes October 25, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Espacio Cultural Marcó del Pont – Artigas 202, Flores
The Latitudes Festival of Multicultural Migrant Talents is a free and open celebration of Latin American migrant culture in Buenos Aires. Since its first iteration in 2023, the Latitudes Festival has established itself as a space for encounters, dialogue, and integration, bringing together artists, entrepreneurs, and creators from different Latin American countries.
The program includes live concerts with bands that fuse Latin rhythms and contemporary sounds, as well as visual arts exhibitions. There are also workshops on human rights, mental health, and college, as well as an area for entrepreneurs to showcase products and services created by the migrant community.
Closer October 24, 9 p.m. — October 25, 8 p.m. — October 26, 7 p.m.
The Playhouse, More 80, San Isidro
Director Ximena Faralla stages an English-speaking version of UK author Patrick Marber’s raw, funny, and devastating Closer, a razor-sharp exploration of love, lust, and betrayal. Four strangers in London cross paths by chance and are pulled into an intense web of attraction. As relationships ignite and unravel, the line between truth and lies blurs.
Starring Gonzalo Berón Muñóz, Valentina Cerrato, Santos Muente, and Niki Munton, Closer refuses to romanticize love. Instead, it exposes its most dangerous, intoxicating side.
Bitbang – International Animation Film Festival October 28 — November 1
Cine Gaumont and other venues across the city.
Free admission
One of Latin America’s top international animation festivals, BitBang runs from October 28 to November 11, featuring short films, conferences, retrospectives, and workshops (also parties!). The event will be held throughout several venues across the city, including the Gaumont Cinema, the San Martin Cultural Center, and the Club Lucero in Palermo.
The best part is that, save the workshops and the parties, it’s all free! The festival is also Argentina’s first Academy Awards qualifying festival, meaning that the winners in the official competitions for best international and best Latin American short film are automatically eligible for the Oscars’ Short Film competition.
The program is available here.
