What to Do in Buenos Aires in October

Throughout October, you can explore Buenos Aires from a different perspective thanks to Design and Architecture Month. The third edition brings together architecture, interior design, technology and innovation proposals at different locations across the City, with public and private activities showcasing projects, spaces and leading figures in the sector.

On Saturday October 3, from 2pm to 7pm, five free vans will connect six stops across the City, allowing you to discover different design and architecture projects. The route includes the National Museum of Fine Arts, Open House Buenos Aires, the Museum of Modern Art, Casa FOA, Fundación Proa and Fundación Larivière, with activities related to architecture, design, art and interior design.

Throughout October, Marcela Fibbiani, a journalist and design specialist, will lead five free guided tours through different areas of the City. The schedule includes Palermo Soho on October 9, Retiro and Microcentro on October 16, Distrito Arenales on October 23, Chacarita on October 30 and Palermo Hollywood on October 31. Advance registration is required.

You'll also find events organized by different players in the sector, including the International Architecture Biennial of Buenos Aires, Casa FOA, Open House Buenos Aires, Puro Diseño and Design Night in Distrito Arenales. There will also be university activities and talks on design, innovation and technology, such as Globant's Design Talks.

On October 6, 13, 20 and 27, you can enjoy some of the best discounts for going to the theatre. The AADET campaign, organized by the association of theatre and music producers, returns with more than 80 shows from Buenos Aires' theatre scene offering discounts of between 60 and 90 percent. On those four days, head to Tickets BsAs, opposite the Obelisk, and pick up your vouchers for ARS 2,500, up to four per person and with an ID. You then redeem them at the box office of your chosen venue and pay for your ticket with the corresponding discount. The offer applies to performances taking place that same week, while stocks last.

The list of venues is long and tempting. Picadero has La última sesión de Freud, Ennio Morricone, Prima Facie, Le frigo and La vida extraordinaria, among many others. At Metropolitan, there's Misery, Othelo (termina mal), Habitación Macbeth and Modelo vivo muerto. Maipo brings El curioso incidente del perro a medianoche, while Carlos Carella has Rigoletto and Estoy en mi prime, and Multiteatro is staging 8 mujeres, Toc Toc and La función que sale mal. At Astros, you can see La llamada and Yo no duermo la siesta, while Nacional Sancor Seguros adds Alejandra, El equilibrista and Somos las chicas de la culpa.

Konex has El alucinante viaje de Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota; Apolo, Berlín Berlín; Coliseo, Volar es humano, aterrizar es divino; and Lola Membrives, Rocky. CPM Multiescena adds La casa de Bernarda Alba, Los 39 escalones and Rumores, while Paseo La Plaza has Dribbling and La señora que me parió. There are also options at Astral, Liceo, Multitabarís, Picadilly, Politeama, Premier and Chacarerean theatres.

The tip: vouchers can be paid for in cash, by debit card or through digital wallets, and each show has its own discount, which you'll find out about when you arrive at Tickets BsAs.

Where: At different theatres across the City.

From October 22 to 25, the fourth edition of MUBI's global festival takes over Cinépolis Houssay with 21 films ranging from premieres to cult classics. Straight from Cannes come Adolescencia, Sexo y Muerte en Campamento Miasma, a surreal slasher that won the Queer Palm, and Tierra de mi Padre, starring Sandra Hüller and winner of the Best Director award. There are also premieres with an eye on the Oscars, including Cobarde, by Lukas Dhont, Minotauro, by Andrey Zvyagintsev, and El Deshielo, by Manuela Martelli.

For indie fans, there's Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, and Erupcja, starring Charli XCX. Horror lovers can catch Videodrome and The Thing in 4K, while Argentine cinema is represented by Lucrecia Martel's La niña santa and La Casa del Ángel.

But the festival isn't limited to the screen. There are meetings and talks with figures from Argentine culture, live music shows and outdoor art activities, bringing back the collective and celebratory side of cinema. It's the physical extension of MUBI's curation: programming you won't find in the conventional cinema listings, and a darkened theatre filled with hundreds of people watching the same story.

The tip: screening times are published on MUBI's official website.

Where: Avenida Córdoba 2135, Recoleta.

Starting October 1, Mafalda leaves the page and takes over Centro Cultural Recoleta with a 60-minute journey through 13 rooms designed to engage all your senses. In Mafalda Inmersiva, created by Damián Kirzner, you'll move through Mafalda's bedroom, her neighborhood and Manolo's grocery store, surrounded by giant sets, 360-degree projections, touchscreens and original music.

The experience covers 1,300 square meters, and everything follows Quino's original drawings and texts, with the characters presented at life size. There's also an optional virtual reality room, with a separate ticket, for groups of six. There, you can join Sara, a teenage comic-book fan, and explore Mafalda's dream of becoming a translator for the UN, Manolito's dream of becoming a businessman and Susanita's dream of getting married.

Kids also have their own space with games. It's open from 12pm to 9pm on weekdays and from 11am to 9pm on weekends and public holidays. Last admission is at 8pm.

The tip: tickets are available online or at Centro Cultural Recoleta; retirees receive a 15 percent discount when purchasing in person.

Where: Junín 1930, Recoleta.

Get your hands (and napkins) ready. On October 2 and 3, Latin America's biggest burger festival returns for its fifth edition at Tribuna Plaza, inside Hipódromo de Palermo, with more than 20 burger joints taking part in a Paseo Hamburguesero that crosses borders. You'll find spots from across the country, including CABA, Chaco, Mendoza and Rosario, as well as guests from the United States, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. Participants include The Food Truck Store, Luisa's, Ácido, Pony Line, FINO, Guita, Gordo Vegano, NFA Burger and Brasil Burger Tour, among many others.

The Competencia Federal is also part of the festival: more than 100 burger joints from across the country entered, and 24 made it through a YouTube reality show where each had five minutes to cook its signature burger. Twelve of them make it to Buenos Aires to compete for the title of Best Burger in Argentina. The first day is the pre-opening, with a musical closing set by Hernán and La Champion Liga. The second is the full festival day, with expanded capacity, the public party and music by Nuestro Romance. The winners are announced that day.

Tickets are available online through Enigma Tickets. You can choose a general admission ticket, which includes a burger and a drink, or a special ticket for the Competencia Federal, with eight or 12 half-slider vouchers each (including one or two drinks). And for those who don't want to miss a single day, there's the Burger Lover pass.

The tip: when purchasing through MODO, you can pay in up to three interest-free installments with Mastercard BBVA credit cards.

Where: Avenida del Libertador 4101, Palermo.

On October 3 and 4, Open House Buenos Aires returns. The nonprofit architecture and urbanism festival opens the doors of more than 150 buildings and spaces, giving you the chance to see inside places you normally only see from the outside. This edition includes around 30 newcomers, and one of the biggest additions is Mataderos, which joins the official map for the first time with Estadio Nueva Chicago.

You can also travel back in time at El Zanjón de Granados, in San Telmo, where beneath a 19th-century mansion you'll find remains dating back to 1732 and a network of tunnels revealing some of the oldest layers of Buenos Aires' history. Highlights include gems such as Casa Calise II, Edificio IBM, Teatro Avenida, Club Ferro Carril Oeste, Edificio de Renta Bencich and Reserva Lago Lugano, alongside residential architecture and artists' studios.

The program also includes Open Camina, with urban walks led by historians, architects and guides, and Open Bici, with cycling routes offering a different view of the city through the speed and perspective of a bicycle. Visiting hours are from 10am to 2pm and from 3pm to 7pm.

The tip: most visits are on a first-come, first-served basis and don't require advance registration, although some spaces do; check the event website for the full program.

Where: At different buildings across the City.

On October 3 and 4, from 12pm, Feria Leer y Comer returns for its 19th edition, dubbed Edición Reset, bringing its mix of books and food back to Chacarita with a simple idea: knowledge should nourish both body and mind. It's a space to disconnect and recharge, officially recognized as being of tourist interest by the City, with book presentations, workshops, games, food trucks and a market selling products.

There will also be themed talks featuring chefs, artists, journalists, writers and health and wellness experts, as well as some of the country's leading publishing houses. This edition adds a wine tasting and live bands throughout the weekend, with the neighborhood itself serving as the setting and culture and gastronomy taking over the streets.

The tip: admission is free.

Where: Concepción Arenal and Avenida Warnes, Chacarita.

From October 7 to 11, MUTEK.AR arrives and the city once again becomes a laboratory for audiovisual art, electronic music and digital creativity for five days, bringing together local and international artists in a program of audiovisual performances, audiovisual concerts, installations, immersive experiences and live sets. The first confirmed names include Ana Vojnov, Dana Ruh, Myriam Bleau, NVST, Satoshi Tomiie, Klauss, Koiwa, Heidi Giel & Manu Schaller, Martín Huberman & El Estudio Normal, Primeiro and SKSS.

On October 7, A/Visions opens at the Martín Coronado Hall at Teatro San Martín, with sound and light on an architectural scale, featuring the premiere of the light installation La Joya and Myriam Bleau's work Hypermobility. On October 8, there are two events: Heidi Giel & Manu Schaller, performing with piano, theremin and synthesizers at the Teatro Colón Experimentation Center, and Simposio V, a light-art exhibition at Comité 357. Friday October 9 is the long night of Play at Artlab, with almost ten hours of A/V concerts, live performances, visuals and DJ sets closing with Dana Ruh and SKSS.

On Saturday October 10, Digi Lab at Artlab starts at 2pm, with free activities focused on discussion and exchange. At 11pm, Nocturno takes the dance floor to Deseo, a former textile factory in Villa Ortúzar, with seven hours of music and NVST's Argentine debut. Carlos Alfonsín opens and Satoshi Tomiie closes with a modular live set. On Sunday October 11, there are four fulldome shows at the Galileo Galilei Planetarium, including South American premieres. From 6pm, the open-air closing takes over La Nube, running from the afternoon into the early hours, with Primeiro, Paula OS, DIOM, Satoshi Tomiie and Barem.

The tip: tickets for each activity are available online through the event's website.

Where: At different locations across the City.

Three days of all-out cycling are coming up. Parque Sarmiento becomes the epicenter of cycling with Expo Bici Buenos Aires, bringing together leading figures from the country's cycling and mobility industries, along with sports, social and cultural activities. On October 9, at sunset, the Sunset Gran Fondo arrives, a social gathering with music and non-alcoholic drinks. On Saturday October 10, after midday, the second edition of the Mini Fondo Kids takes place, a race where kids take center stage.

The grand finale comes on Sunday October 11 with the fourth edition of the Gran Fondo Buenos Aires, a celebration of amateur, non-competitive cycling. You can ride along the city's main highways and avenues, closed to traffic for the event, with a mass start, chip timing, hydration stations and medical and mechanical assistance throughout the route. There are two distances, 129K and 46K, for cyclists of all ages and abilities. Everything starts and finishes in the same park, with an awards ceremony and a post-race gathering.

The tip: Gran Fondo has been declared an Event of Sporting Interest by the Buenos Aires City Legislature.

Where: Avenida Doctor Ricardo Balbín 4750, Saavedra.

A new edition of the Buenos Aires Old Book Fair is coming, an unmissable event for bibliophiles, collectors and anyone curious about printed culture. From October 28 to November 1, Palacio Libertad will become the meeting point for the world of rare, out-of-print and collectible books. At this 19th edition, the country's and region's leading antiquarian bookstores will gather, including the iconic Librería de Ávila, Helena de Buenos Aires and Rincón del Anticuario, alongside specialized spaces such as the Biblioteca Temática Malvinas.

The fair will offer bibliographic treasures spanning the 16th to the 20th centuries: first editions, gems of Argentine and South American literature, gaucho books, engravings and screen prints, as well as unique works on natural sciences, art and architecture. Alongside browsing the booksellers' stands, the event will feature institutions dedicated to preserving bibliographic heritage and live workshops with book artisans, including bookbinders, restorers, printers and illustrators. A unique opportunity to lose yourself in history and paper.

The tip: admission is free.

Where: Sarmiento 151, San Nicolás.

Pickled eggplant with homemade bread is one of those must-have starters on Argentine tables, whether at dinners, get-togethers or birthday parties, and its popularity deserves its own festival. This year marks the 11th edition of the Zona Norte Pickled Eggplant Festival, where you can find out which versions are the best in the region.

On October 4, from 11am to 5pm, the Sociedad de Fomento María Isabel, in Virreyes, fills up with locals from Tigre, San Fernando, Vicente López, San Isidro, Escobar and San Martín, all competing with their favorite recipes. The tradition goes back a while: since the first festival, held in 2014 at a cultural center in San Fernando, more than 500 recipes have been submitted, with over 200 judges and thousands of local residents taking part.

Alongside the competition, there will be live music, games, food offerings and raffles, making it an event for the whole family. At the end, the three best preparations are selected and receive a basket of regional and artisanal products. First place also takes home the trophy for Best Pickled Eggplant in Zona Norte.

The tip: admission is free.

Where: Suipacha 1833, Virreyes.