Carnival in Buenos Aires is a grand fiesta that takes place every year throughout February until the Carnival holiday weekend.
See this neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to find out where you can catch your colorful local murga, or carnival dance troupe, take to the streets.
There is typically a big central end-of-carnival party in downtown Buenos Aires on the official carnival holidays the last day in February.
After a break during the pandemic and 35 troupes performing on Avenida de Mayo in 2022, in 2023 the Government of the City of Buenos Aires reported that only 11 corsos (parades) could perform in the official celebration.
Now in 2024 the future of official celebrations of Carnival is uncertain as the city faces budget cuts, but the mugueros will perform wherever they happen to be — if not downtown on Avenida de Mayo, in their neighborhoods.
Here are the neighborhood performance locations that will tentatively go on this year.
• Boedo: At San Lorenzo de Almagro club, Avenida La Plata and Las Casas. • Barracas: In Parque España, Avenida Caseros 1500 • Caballito: On Plaza Irlanda, Gaona 1400 • Mataderos: Mataderos Amphitheater, Avenida Directorio 6200 • Saavedra: Parque Saavedra, corner of Avenidas Balbín and Ramallo • San Telmo: Parque Lezama Amphitheater, corner of Avenida Brasil and Paseo Colón.
Buenos Aires Murgas in Carnival 2024
Some of the colorfully-named murgas who will delight onlookers with their songs and flashy Carnival moves his year include:
Colorfully Named Murgas of Buenos Aires
- Resaca Murguera (Murguera Hangover)
- Alucinados de Parque Patricios (Hallucinating of Parque Patricios)
- Los Duendes de Caballito (the Goblins of Caballito),
- Los Elegidos del Dios Momo (The Buffoons Chosen by God),
- Los Mimados de la Paternal (The Pampered of Paternal),
- Los Fantoches de Villa Urquiza (The Braggarts of Villa Urquiza)
- Los Verdes de Monserrat (The Perverts of Monserrat).
Neighborhood Carnival Information 2023
Times: — Every weekend of February
From Saturday, February 10, 2024 until Tuesday the 13th, Buenos Aires celebrates its carnival with different corsos throughout neighborhoods of the city on the weekends.
The parades begin at 7:00 p.m. with ‘criticas‘ and shows with dancing and bands in the following neighborhoods:
Almagro
Av. Diaz Velez
between Gascón and Medrano
Boedo
Av. Boedo
between Av. Independencia and Av. San Juan
Colegiales
-Polideportivo Colegiales (Sports Center)
(Freire and Concepcion Arenal)
Caballito / Flores
between Neuquén and Av. GaonaLa Boca
Av. Patricios
between Iriarte and Pedro de Mendozoa
Liniers
Tuyuti
between Carhue and Cosquin
Palermo
Plaza Unidad Latinoamerica
Av. Medrano, Costa Rica,
Francisco A. de Figueroa
San Telmo
Lezama Park Amphitheater
(Av. Brazil and Balcarse)
Villa Crespo
Scalabrini Ortiz
between Av. Corrientes and
Juan Ramírez de Velazco
Villa del Parque
Cuenca
between Baigorria and Marcos Sastre
Villa Urquiza
Av. Triumvirate
between Monroe and Olazabal
In the case of rain, the closing event of the Carnival on Avenida de Mayo will be rescheduled for the following weekend
Carnival Holiday Weekend February 12 &13
The smaller than normal end of the Carnival season party will take place on the Carnival weekend, Avenida de Mayo starting near the Plaza de Mayo and taking upon Avenida de Mayo up to the intersection of 9 de Julio. from 4:00p.m.—10p.m.
Buenos Aires Carnival Tips:
• Wearing easily stained garments such as silk to carnival celebrations is NOT recommended because kids run around spraying foam indiscriminately. Watch your eyes but don’t worry about street clothes as the ‘carnival snow’ generally dissolves quickly.
• Be careful with expensive cameras as well because non-local carnival visitors are fair targets to be ‘foamed’ by mischievous youth.
For additional Carnival information call: 4342-8199 or see the City of Buenos Aires website Carnival Information.