Yes, December gets a bit crowded with events in Buenos Aires. But if you happen to have some free time between all the end-of-the-year parties and get-togethers to catch up with friends, here are the Herald’s best plans for the weekend.
The Nutcracker in Teatro Colón December 12 to 28
Teatro Colón (entrance on Libertad 621)
Argentina’s world-renowned opera house is staging a production of The Nutcracker that runs throughout December. The plus is that Julio Bocca, director of the Teatro Colón Ballet Company, has set up talks before the beginning of each performance for the public to learn more about the details of this major production.
One hour before each performance, professor and composer Félix Adrogué — together with special guests involved in the creation of this ballet — will host a public conversation about this staging of Tchaikovsky’s piece. The gathering takes place in the Tucumán wing of the Foyer and lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Design Fairs Friday 17 through Sunday 19
Belgrano, Coghlan, and Chacarita
Two different print design fairs will take place this weekend featuring some of the most creative independent designers, illustrators, and publishers. A perfect opportunity to solve your pending Christmas gifts.
The Juntas Fair: it will gather in Quetren (Av. Olazábal 1784, Belgrano) on Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Belgrano.
The Migra Fair: a mecca of print art (prior editions have been visited by up to 25,000 people) will take place on Saturday and Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. in LABA (Fraga 648) Admission is free bringing a non-perishable food or clothing item that will be donated to the Mocha Celis Civil Association, which supports the trans community.
Fábrica de Estampas’ Treasures Fair: set to tke place in Coghlan, it will offer books, fanzines, graphic art and design objects, from Saturday 13 to Tuesday 23, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., in Nahuel Huapi 4699.
Free outdoor concert brings 600 artists to Palacio Libertad December 20, 8:30 p.m.
Palacio Libertad esplanade (Sarmiento 150)
Admission is free (first come, first served)
A massive free outdoor concert will bring together more than 600 performers from Argentina’s national ensembles. For the first time, all of the country’s resident companies will share one stage, including the National Folkloric Ballet, National Symphony Orchestra, National Polyphonic Choir, National Contemporary Dance Company and the Juan de Dios Filiberto National Orchestra of Argentine Music. They will be joined by the National Children’s Choir, the National Symphonic Band of the Blind Pascual Grisolía and emerging artists from national training schools.
Charlie Chaplin & Gorillaz marathon in Olivos December 21, 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Cine York (Juan Bautista Alberdi 895, Olivos)
Free admission (first come, first served)
Cine York closes its year with a free screening of The Gold Rush, one of Charles Chaplin’s most enduring and influential films. The viewing coincides with the 100th anniversary of the movie’s 1925 premiere. Combining physical comedy and social insight, the film about a solitary prospector who heads to Alaska during the gold rush remains a defining work of early cinema, blending hilarious gags with a sharp look at poverty and ambition — themes that still resonate a century later. Admission is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cine York will also host a special screening to celebrate the 25 years of Gorillaz, the genre-defying virtual band created by Damon Albarn and illustrator Jamie Hewlett. The program presents 14 iconic music videos tracing the evolution of the group’s animated universe. Originally conceived as a satire of the music industry, Gorillaz grew into a pioneering transmedia project that blends pop, animation and social commentary.