Archives for November 2010

The San Telmo Fair

There is always a lot to see and do in ‘The Republic of San Telmo,’ but the colorful Sunday street fair is the bohemian neighborhood’s biggest attraction.

The Feria de San Telmo began as a 270-stall antiques market in 1971, and has grown into a huge come-as-you-are street bazaar that draws over 12,000 people every week.

The heart of the antique wares are congregated around Plaza Dorrego but the entire outdoor market stretches down 13 blocks of the cobblestone Defensa Street and off onto a few side lanes. From 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Defensa Street is completely pedestrian and packed with entertainers jockeying for attention and an international array of street vendors who display their goods on the pavement. The offerings include antiquities from Argentina’s glory days, original art, funky clothing, homemade snacks, and pretty much whatever else someone can think to slap with a price tag.

Scanning the antiques in Plaza Dorrego can give you a glimpse into Argentina’s heady past, although long gone are the days where one can find bargained-priced historic treasures.

Better deals can be found among the ‘unofficial’ street fair vendors, who today make up the bulk of the market. Since 2005 some local shopkeepers and residents have pushed for the street side hawkers to be removed, claiming that their presence obstructs the sidewalks.

As usual in Argentina, the conflict culminated in protests. Finally city officials reaffirmed that those who sell homemade ‘artisan items’ are entitled to stay, as are the musicians and other entertainers. Black market goods aren’t permitted, but they still make it into the fringes of the market. The San Telmo Fair continues as always and is larger than ever and drawing more enterprising free spirits and tourists every week.

Among the buskers and street merchants along Defensa Street you’ll meet some whimsical characters and can find some unique handmade gifts, often at exceptional prices.

For non-shoppers the street fair offers plenty of free entertainment and some of Buenos Aires’ most interesting people watching.

‘Greatest Hits’ of the San Telmo Street Fair:

→Best of San Telmo Fair: Music

→ Best of San Telmo Fair: Street Performers

→ Best of San Telmo Fair: Tango

⇒ Check out our San Telmo Walking & Bike Tours

Best of San Telmo Fair: Tango

Tango for Export

The corner of Defensa and Humberto Primo, at the very heart of the San Telmo Fair, is the capital of tango as a commodity on Sundays. There is often a tango performance here but once you push past the crowds to see what’s going on, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Although the older couple dancing a typical salon-type tango have certainly earned their stripes, they dance on a very tiny platform and do it for the camera. If you really aren’t interested in tango but are obliged to get a picture to show your tango-crazed aunt, head to this intersection to get your snaps.

All around San Telmo on Sundays you may stumble across ‘tango posses’ staging spontaneous milongas (dance gatherings) in any given public space. Often there is a group of dancers on the corner of Defensa Street and San Juan Avenue.

La Milonga del Indio/ The Milonga of Plaza Dorrego

The best place to catch some tango dancers who can really get across the floor on Sundays in San Telmo is directly in Plaza Dorrego. After the antique vendors have closed up shop, the ‘Milonga of the Indian’ takes place in the plaza. Founded by Pedro Banavente, known around town as ‘El Indio,’ this outdoor dance in the plaza has existed for over 20 years.

Usually there is a performance followed by an open dance where you can join in, if so inclined. Tango is the main feature here and sometimes there is a bit of Chacarera, a northern Argentine folk dance that is fun to give a whirl.

Due to a conflict with surrounding businesses and neighbors, the Plaza Dorrego milonga has been shut down a few times in the last years, but the dancers have succeeded in getting at least moral backing from the city government. The outdoor dance was coined as one of the ‘City’s Best 20 Milongas’ by the city’s Culture Secretary. Organizers are now fighting to receive ‘cultural interest’ status that will further protect it from being shut down.

La Milonga del Indio
Plaza Dorrego
Humberto Primo and Defensa Streets
San Telmo

• Time: 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Cost: free

Tangodromo

To hit a milonga further off the beaten track on a Sunday in San Telmo, head to Tangodromo at the nearby Culture Center of Plaza Defensa. This is considered one of the most important milongas in the city and it is definitely authentic — you won’t bump into many tourists here. This is a good option for beginners and those with kids in tow.

Tangodrómo
Centro Cultural Plaza Defensa
Defensa 535
San Telmo/Monserrat
Tel: 4342-6610

• Time: Sundays at 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Cost: free

Check out our San Telmo Tango Tours & Shows →

San Telmo Fair Shopping Tips

Art and Antiques in San Telmo

To get one of the 270 official stalls at the San Telmo Antiques Fair is a mythical prospect these days — there is a long waiting list, a rigorous approval process and someone pretty much has to die for a spot to become available. Many of the vendors at the San Telmo Fair have held onto their spots in the market since its 1971 inception.

So while the street fair is famed for the antiques, and there remain treasures from Buenos Aires’ golden days to be uncovered, the vendors here have discovered Ebay and it is unlikely you will find bargained-priced antiquities anymore. If prices are given in dollars or Euro’s, that’s your clue that the seller has done their research.

To do some virtual window-shopping of the antiques available, see the Feria de San Telmo website where you can see pictures of every vendor’s items.

Works of Art

Among the best deals to be had at the San Telmo Sunday fair are original artworks. Unknown but talented artists — especially those who refuse to specialize in the ubiquitous tango scenes — are sometimes so eager to get their work on your walls that they practically give it away. You can find these artists all over the area, including along Paseo San Lorenzo and Humberto Primo.

Be aware that to remove any piece of fine art purchased in Argentina the law requires that you get permission from the Culture Department or else you may find that you cannot get it through customs on your way home. Many travelers do not follow the requirements and get through customs just fine, but you will want to ask the artist about this and be aware that if you don’t follow the steps you may not be able to take the art out of the country.

Homemade crafts and hippie stuff

Artisan items sold by San Telmo street hawkers such as candles, jewelry, knitted items, incense and glassware shouldn’t be overlooked if you’re looking for a unique handmade gift. Since they don’t have ‘official’ stalls in the market, but instead place their wares on the sidewalks on the outskirts, their overhead is low and their prices tend to be more than reasonable.

Best of San Telmo Fair: Street Performers

Buenos Aires’ Living Statues

Elaborately costumed human mannequins are ubiquitous around San Telmo when the weekly San Telmo Street Fair takes place. Among the favorites are both of the genteel Carlos Gardels — one works on Humberto Primo and the other works along Defensa.

You also may see the ‘windswept office workers,’ who can also sometimes be seen on Florida Street as well as one of the ‘mirror men.’

Clowns, Crazies and Personalities

Mimes, clowns, scantily-clad drag queens and people who want to be tipped for just being who they are — they come out of the woodwork in San Telmo on Sundays. Especially prevalent are the ‘tango personalities’ who regularly make the rounds and sometimes sign autographs — whether you want one of not.

‘Tango Dancer’ Maleva takes tango back to its early 19th-century roots, with her fishnet stockings and heavy make-up. She doesn’t really dance tango as much as she prances around in her own little tango fantasy. She hasn’t been around lately so she might have taken her show indoors.

Halfway down the block from the plaza on Defensa Street is the woman everyone calls the ‘crazy drum lady,’ and she doesn’t seem to care one bit.

It’s difficult not to feel endeared to an elderly woman who supplements her pension playing a makeshift drum set and cracking jokes on the street. It doesn’t matter if you’re the queen of England though– if you want a picture you better give her U.S.-grade cash money beforehand or else you’ll receive an obscene gesture. She’s old, cranky and living on a fixed income. She can do whatever the hell she wants!

Puppet Shows

Puppetry is an art that is taken to its highest level in Buenos Aires. Delighted crowds always stop to cackle at the antics of ‘The Drunken Puppet,’ who stumbles around a miniature street corner made out of a suitcase — and looks curiously like his puppeteer.

→ Best of San Telmo Fair: Tango

←Best of San Telmo Fair: Music

Best of San Telmo Fair: Music

Tango, folk, jazz, bossa nova and Argentine ‘national rock’ –- it can all be heard live on the San Telmo streets for free on Sundays.

Tango

Among the most remarkable groups is the 12-piece tango orchestra, El Afronte, who perform on Humberto Primo near the corner of Defensa. While here, you can check out the beautiful Iglesia de San Pedro Telmo, one of Buenos Aires’ oldest cathedrals, dating back to 1734.

Contemporary Music

There are always buskers coming and going at the San Telmo Fair and it seems like a new group appears every week. Cuerdas del Sur is a tight three-piece contemporary ensemble who have been performing at the street fair for years. Often they can be found playing on the corner of Defensa and San Lorezo.

Candombe

Very popular are a growing number of candombe drum troupes playing in the later afternoon. The drummers bang out their Afro-Uruguayan sounds and slowly begin to shuffle through the crowds, gaining a following of dancers as they go along. The beats provide an opportunity to dance in the streets – literally.