Holiday Celebrations Buenos Aires Style

Christmas Eve in Buenos Aires is much like New Year, with families staying home to enjoy a special meal together, eating, drinking and dancing until late in the night. Maybe the best choice is to just take it easy and stay close to home with some good friends.

The scene at midnight in the streets is more like this: families, friends, people of all ages gathered in the warm night to watch fireworks explode all around. Children set off startlingly loud firecrackers, and sparklers are passed around, filling the night with their glittering charm. All around in the distance colorful explosions of colossal fireworks mark the arrival of a new year, and new possibilities.

The excitement and energy is palpable. If you decide to roam the streets you may stumbled upon a makeshift block party, specially in the barrios. It is quite normal to find a crowd of people who put a small sound system pointed into the street bumping Latin music hits for all to enjoy. Just loose yourself and join the dancing revelers. 

The truth is that on almost any night of the year in Buenos Aires you can go to a big club and dance and drink with porteños, and it is fun. But for this one night of the year it is truly special to be a part of a community celebration, complete with young kids and old couples, locals, tourists, and all.

You can dance for hours until slowly people start to drift, to continue the festivities at other partiesor clubs, or drag their tired feet home to sleep, or wander into the night with new lovers. If you are in town and you catch the drift you most like will have a great time. Happy Holidays!