BUENOS AIRES CARNIVALS (By Hostel Buenos Aires)

Buenos Aires Carnivals are among the oldest ones in South America. This year, the celebrations have gained a new impulse with the restoration of the Carnival holidays (In March, Monday 7 and Tuesday 8). During this February and the beginning of March, different groups will celebrate with music and dance in the Porteño neighborhoods. These “murgas”, as the carnival groups are known, are the heart of the festivity.

107 groups will revive the spirit of Carnival in Buenos Aires. Every Saturday and Sunday, in each representative street of every neighborhood, disguised neighbors will dance and play carnival drums to have fun in the arrival of this popular celebration. Each group has its colors, its particular steps, its rhythm and the joy they transmit to the audience which often joins the dance.

The “murga”, as a carnival association, has more than 100 years of history in our city. Each group is the concretion of a year’s work and rehearsals: creating the traditional suits, rehearsing the choreographies. From the little ones (3 or 4 years old) to the old ones (they can be 80 years old or more), everybody brims with enthusiasm in the Porteño streets or in the corners of their beloved neighborhoods.

The parades start with standards and fantasies (giant dolls, disguises), followed by the pets (little children), the ballerinas (and the soloists), the male dancers (and the soloists) and, finally, the drums. They have a precise order: entrance, critic, tribute and farewell (choreography, chants and songs). A party you should not miss if you’re visiting Buenos Aires in these months.