Buenos Aires St. Patty’s Day Celebration 2012

*update: this is an old post. Although a lot of the information is the same, please see this year’s post on the St. Patrick day celebrations.

The British in Argentina may not be too popular these days, but Argentines are happy to help the 500,000+ strong Irish descendants in the country party every March 17th.

The Irish community‘s yearly St. Patrick’s Day celebration falls on a Saturday this year, which means the party in Buenos Aires promises to be huge — weather permitting.

Before the festivities begin, terrorist victims from Buenos Aires’ Jewish community will be remembered with a wreath hanging ceremony at the parade’s starting point, on the corner of Arroyo and Suipacha Streets. The Israeli embassy once stood on this corner until it was obliterated in a 1992 terrorist attack. The city’s Irish contingency — who also came to Argentina to escape religious persecution — will honor their fellow immigrants to mark the tragedy’s 20th anniversary.

Afterwards, the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations will continue as they do every year with a parade at 7:00 p.m. on the same corner. The green march of elves, leprechauns and fairies will end at Plaza San Martin, where there will be music and dance performances featuring Irish-flavored rock groups such as the Gaiteros Tartan Army, The Kilt, and Mac Manus, and Irish dance troupe, Celtic Argentina.

Afterward the party continues in local pubs such as Down Town Matías, Druid Inn, John John and The Kilkenny.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, March 17

6:00 p.m. — Gathering and wreath-laying ceremony, Arroyo and Suipacha Streets/Retiro

7:00 p.m — St. Paddy’s Day Parade beginning at Arroyo and Suipacha Streets

7:30 p.m.-through the evening — Celebration in Plaza San Martin/Ave. Santa Fe and Florida Street/Retiro
Pubs

• Down Town Matias — Reconquista Street 701

• Druid Inn — Reconquista Street 1040

• John John — Reconquista Street 924

• The Kilkenny — Marcelo T. de Alvear 399

Buenos Aires’ Gay Pride Parade

The Buenos Aires’ Gay Pride parade is the largest rainbow-colored street party of the year. The parade takes place every year on the first or second Saturday in November.

The party begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Plaza de Mayo with music, dancing and plenty of photos ops for the city’s popular gay figures and most outrageous transvestites.

Gay Pride Buenos Aires Through the Years

The parade has grown into a huge celebration from its humble beginnings in 1991.

Due to a conflict with city officials, 2014 almost became the first year the party would not take place. It did prevail and has grown ever since, although some locals object that the Pride March has become too politicized to include topics and groups that have little to do with Gay Pride.

“In the first year 17 people participated in the parade, in the second year there were 50 and in the third year we had 300,” says Rodolfo Peralta, representative of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans (Federación Argentina de Lesbianas Gays Bisexuales y Trans).

“In the fourth year, the year I began marching, we had 600 people.”

In the last decade the Buenos Aires Gay Pride Parade has grown to massive proportions. Starting in 2009, the parade attendance jumped, drawing an estimated 40,000-50,000 participants.

In 2010, the first year revelers were able to celebrate Argentina’s legalization of gay marriage the crowd was even bigger.

“We’re a lot of people. We have a lot to celebrate this year — not the least of which is the legalization of gay marriage,” said Peralta at the time.

Now Buenos Aires’ gay pride party draws an international crowd upward of 100,000 people every year.

Among the groups that participate are the Argentine Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals, the ‘Peronist Fags’(Putos Peronistas), The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and the local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

The ‘Marcha Del Orgullo Gay’

Once everyone gathers, the parade begins at 4 p.m. from Plaza de Mayo and slowly blares its way up 11 blocks of Avenida de Mayo to the Plaza Congreso.

The celebration ends with live music in Plaza Congreso, often headlined by notable local pop acts such as Leo Garcia and Miranda.

In typical Buenos Aires’ fashion, expect the party to run until sunrise.

Celebrations continue all week with art shows, cinema festivals and events in gay clubs all over town.

2019 Gay Pride Parade

The Buenos Aires Marcha del Orgullo Gay (or Pride Parade) 2019 is set to take place on November 2 beginning at 11:00 a.m. in Plaza de Mayo.

The event is just one part of Gay Pride week in Buenos Aires in which there are LGBTIQ-themed conferences, speakers, and parties all over town.

When: Saturday, November 2, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. (parade at 4 p.m.)
Where: Plaza de Mayo

St. Paddy’s Day Celebrations in Buenos Aires

On Saint Paddy’s Day of course everyone claims to have Celtic blood and it’s no different in Buenos Aires.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

There is an annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade to help the more than 500,000 Irish in Argentina celebrate.

This year, Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations will start on place on Saint Patrick’s Day, Saturday, the 7th of March with an event titled ‘Buenos Aires Celebra Irelanda.’

More than 50 food and beer stands will open along Avenida de Mayo starting at noon. The elves, fairies, bagpipers and Irish dancers will honor the homeland with the parade beginning at 3 p.m.

Afterward there are live music and dance performances featuring Irish-flavored rock and folk groups, which usually includes an U2 tribute band, a band from Ireland named Andi Pomato along with performances by the Irish dance troupes, Emerald Dance and Celtic Argentina.

The event is hosted by the Argentina-Ireland Association, the Buenos Aires city government and the Irish Embassy in Buenos Aires.

Plaza de Mayo Celebrations on the 7th

This year the celebration is on Avenida de Mayo and Peru streets, near the Plaza de Mayo

• 12:00 p.m. Activities begin
• 3:00 p.m. — Annual St. Paddy’s Day Parade,
• 3:45 p.m.: Parade ends and celebrations continue
• 4:00-7:00 p.m. live music and dance

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations in Buenos Aires

Irish Pubs in Retiro

On March 17th in Buenos Aires visitors will find St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the city’s ‘Irish Pubs’, such as DownTown Matías, Druid Inn, John John and The Kilkenny around the Retiro area.

Visitors won’t find Guinness but they will find other dark beers and traditional Irish dishes such as Colcanno, made the Argentine way.

Be forewarned that these rowdy bars are nothing like pubs in Ireland.

Watch this video to see the usual scene that takes place every year. Indeed, it is probably due to the out of control party that the city decided to move the official celebrations to Plaza de Mayo to lesson the typical St. Paddy’s Day chaos.

Irish Pubs in Buenos Aires

• Down Town Matias — Reconquista Street 701

• Druid Inn — Reconquista Street 1040

• John John — Reconquista Street 924

• The Kilkenny — Marcelo T. de Alvear 399

• The Irish House — San Martín 979

• Saint Patrick’s Irish — Pres. José Evaristo Uriburu 1714

• Sullivan’s Irish Pub — Jorge Luis Borges 1702, Palermo

• Slainte Irish Pub Palermo — Fitz Roy 1747, Palermo

• Dubliners — Humboldt 2000, Palermo

• The Shamrock — Rodríguez Peña 1220 (Recoleta)

• The Clover Pub — Av. de Mayo 1357/ Piedras 78 (San Telmo)

• The Malin Head — Bolívar 583 (San Telmo)

• Temple Centro — Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear 945

• The Celtic Pub — Carlos Pellegrini 551 (Microcentro)

• Irish — Av. Pres. Julio A. Roca 691 (Monserrat)

• Molly Malones — Perú 253

Smaller St. Patty’s Day Events Around Buenos Aires

The town of Luján in Buenos Aires province will be celebrating the 118th anniversary of their St. Paddy’s Day pilgrimage and parade on the 15th, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

That will be followed by a mass in the Basílica Nuestra. Sra. de Luján. The service will be followed by a lunch and social that will feature Celtic music and dance. See the link below for more details.

The event is organized by the Federation of Irish Argentines and the Irish-Argentine Association of Luján. The local Pub Notre Dame de Luján is the place for the after party.

On the 17th in Buenos Aires people have traditionally gather in Plaza Irlanda in Caballito, from 11 a.m. onward, but there has been no official announcement this year.

All events are open to the public.

The Hurling Club of Buenos Aires

The Hurling Club of Buenos Aires also has a yearly dinner and dance to honor St. Paddy’s Day in their very authentic-looking pub.

Get in touch with the club to find out more details.

The Hurling Club
Gdor. Vergara Avenue 5415
Hurlingham
Tel: 4665-0903/ 4662-8358
9:00-11:00 p.m.— dinner
11 p.m.— performance and dance

→ You can also sign up for the Buenos Aires St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl on March 14th!