Ciudad Emergente, Buenos Aires’ free youth cultural festival has rolled around again, and will take place Wednesday the 6^th of June until Sunday the 10^th.

The winter festival aims to appeal to young people of every persuasion from metalheads to electronic-music fans with live music, films, poetry readings, dance performances, fashion shows, stand-up comedy and digital and street art exhibitions.

The five year-old festival, sponsored by the Buenos Aires Culture Department, takes place in the sprawling Centro Cultural Recoleta.

Theatre, Art, Dance and Comedy

From Thursday until Sunday at 7 pm every night the Spanish theater troupe Ojalá will perform Hombre Vertiente, a show described as a ‘adrenaline-filled three dimensional experience’. A digital art exhibition will be on display throughout the festival, including a collection of album covers by Tucumán graphic designer, Alejandro Ros.

Those who speak Spanish can catch stand-up comedy every evening of the festival at 6:15 in the Villa Villa Hall.

The street dance featured is mostly hip hop and break dancing with groups such as Freestylerz Crew, the Kiar Dance Crew, Los Fabulosos Bboys and the all-girl group Las Superpoderosas.

From Thursday the 7^th every evening at 8:30 p.m. there will be a fashion show featuring the threads of up-and-coming young designers.

Free Films at Ciudad Emergente

The films shown at the festival this year are mostly rock documentaries provided by BAFICI. ‘Quiero tener una ferretería en Andulucia’ is about the ‘lost years’ of The Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer, filmed during the era when he lived in the south of Spain.

‘Leonard Cohen: Live at the Isle of Wight,’ is concert footage of the Canadian folksinger’s memorable 1970 performance.

The Chemical Brothers, another wildly popular group here, can be experienced via the 2011 film, ‘Don’t Think’ which features concert footage from their show at the Fuji Festival in Japan.

For hard rockers comes the film, ‘La H,’ profiling the Argentine heavy metal group, Hermética. Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister makes an appearance in the film. The festival’s final film, Miroir Noir, is an inside look at the Quebec indie band Arcade Fire.

Live Music at Ciudad Emergente

A publicity shot of Buenos Aires' electronic rocker, Leandro Viernes — Buenos Aires' electronic rocker, Leandro Viernes

Music is a focal point of Ciudad Emergente and this year there will be a total of 68 bands performing during the 4 1/2 day festival.

Hailing from Spain are: Igor Paskual, the guitarist form the Catalan rock group Loquillo; the Indie pop-electronic outfit, El Columpio Asesino; and one of Spain’s most popular pop-rock groups, Dorian, who will make their South American debut at the festival on Sunday.

The Colombian Electro-folk group, Bomba Estéreo, named the best new Latin group by MTV3, will performing on the opening evening of the festival at 8 p.m.

Recommended for those new to the Buenos Aires music scene are the double bill of rapper, Miss Bolivia and mash-up master, Villa Diamante on Thursday, June 7^th at 7p.m.

Leandro Viernes, performing on Friday June 8^th at 7:30 probably won’t strike most foreigners as very original, but he typifies Buenos Aires’ electro-pop sound and gets play on the local MTV and Much music stations.

Mujercitas de Terror, a punk-pop band that is very tight after ten years together, will play on Saturday the 9^th at 4:30 p.m.

The experimental trio Ararat will end Saturday evening’s concert series with their heavy psychedelic trance sound.

On Sunday the 10^th the fun all-girl orchestra Las Taradas will play songs from the 40’ and 50’s at 4:30 p.m. Expect a varied set featuring Colombian cumbia, cha cha cha and swing tunes.

Daniel Melero, who is neither young nor particularly cutting edge, but enjoys continued recognition as a pioneer of Argentina’s electronic music scene, will be headlining the final night of the festival.

It’s a downgrade from 2011’s surprise final act, Babasonicos, one of Argentina’s most popular rock groups.

So many people arrived for last year’s concert that the police used tear gas to keep out a crowd trying to rush the door – an event that perhaps the Buenos Aires Culture Department is purposely aiming to avoid repeating this year.

Check here for the schedule of Ciudad Emergente 2012
Recoleta Cultural Center
Av. Pueyrredón & Azcuénaga
Tel: 0800-333-7848

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.

→ Best of San Telmo Fair: Street Performers