Argentina is a great place to visit any time of year.  Still, sometimes you want to time your visit to take advantage of some unique festivals that only happen in Argentina, and say great things about the country.  You can plan a visit on your own, if you prefer to have someone else to do the planning for you, use companies like Borello Travel, ideal when looking at mid-level to high end accommodations.


  Say Hueque is another fantastic option, great for younger travelers or those who are budget conscious.

Vendimia Harvest Festival in Mendoza

This is one of my favorite events to attend in Argentina – all about food, wine, fun.  After all, there is nothing like wine tasting and fine dining in one of the world’s greatest wine and culinary capitals, Mendoza, in the west of Argentina, in the shadows of the Andes.  You can choose to stay in the city itself at hotels like the historic Park Hyatt or dining at Francis Mallmann’s Restaurant 1884, or in the surrounding regions.  Any time of year, vineyard tours take you through areas such as Lujan de Cuyo and the Valle Uco, giving a sense of the long lost Napa Valley, California of decades ago.  But the best time to come is during the harvest season in late February and March.  This is when the city celebrates the Vendimia Harvest Festival showing off all of the region’s agricultural bounty.  It is a time when the city is full of concerts and street festivals.

  There is also the most unusual things of all, a beauty queen parade where young women in ball gowns pelt the crowd with grapes, melons and other pieces of fruit all while Argentina’s political and celebrity elite watch on from grandstands.  It’s messy, but go!

Here is a list of some Mendoza hotel options if you go.

Exposicion Rural Festival in Buenos Aires

What makes this one of my favorite events in Argentina is how connected it is to the country’s agricultural history.  It is also in an unusually beautiful setting, the Belle Epoque La Rural stadium which is adjacent to the better known convention center near Plaza Italia and the United States Embassy buildingThis late July event dates from even before the turn of the last century when the oligarchs and rich estancia or ranch owners held competitions to show off their prize animals.  Their top gauchos, the Argentine term for a cowboy or ranch hand, would also compete for prizes.  The show goes on as always, though today it also includes artisanal food displays, showing off the vast agricultural richness of Argentina.

Here is a list of great Buenos Aires hotels if you decide to go then, or anytime to Buenos Aires.

Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano

One of the largest German communities in South America is in Argentina.  The greatest concentration of this ethnic community is in Villa General Belgrano.  This is a small town near Cordoba in the interior of the country.  The town is best known for its variety of beers brewed in traditional German ways and this annual ten day Oktoberfest, a local tradition for over 50 years.

Take a look also at some of our other articles on festivals in Argentina.  Among the most exciting is the National Carnival in Gualeguaychu, only a few hours from Buenos Aires in Entre Rios province.  We detail more of that festival here in this article.  It lasts about six weeks, from January through March over the weekends, and makes a great side trip, especially if you’re not heading to Rio and want to see what carnival might be about!