On Sunday, May 13th, 2012, the the ceremony of Vesak, also known as the Bath of Buddha, will be celebrated in the streets of the Chinese Quarter in Belgrano, on Arribeños Street, from Blanco Encalada to Juramento.  

Organized by the Buenos Aires Chinatown Association, Argentina Buddhist Association I.B.P.S, and the For Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery Argentina, this important ceremony will commemorate the birth of Sakyamuri Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) 2556 years ago.

The idea is to use bath water to clean our own Buddha within, that is, to purify the body and mind by the washing of Buddha. It is also a reminder that we must always keep a pure mind.

Two stages with lights and sound will be mounted for the public to enjoy a great event that will feature the traditional Dragon and Lion Dance, Oriental Martial Arts, and the Tea Ceremony.

The activities will take place between 12:00pm and 8:00pm.

From May 10th to May 26th, 2012, the City's Tango Dance Championship 2012 will be held in different "milongas", theaters, and open air locations across the city.

The competition is on the look out for new winning couples in the categories Tango Salon, Milonga, "Milongueros" of the World, and Waltz, who will qualify to participate in the World Tango Dance Championship that will take place in Buenos Aires in August 2012.

The Championship starts on May 10th at Milonga El Arranque and Tango Ideal. The qualifying rounds will continue until Sunday, May 20th at different clubs and milongas of the city, to arrive at semifinals on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th at La Viruta and El Pial.

The Final will be held on Saturday 26th at the recently inaugurated cultural center Usina del Arte (Av. Pedro de Mendoza & Caffarena), in La Boca. Besides the tango dance competition, there will be a concert tribute to Astor Piazzolla. Free tickets for this event must be picked up at Casa de la Cultura, Av. de Mayo 575, on Friday 25th, from 12pm to 5pm (2 tickets per person).

For the events that are not free of charge, tickets will be on sale at the respective venues.

Click here for more information and complete day by day schedule.

The 4th Buenos Aires International Circus Festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires, with the collaboration of  Institute Francais and the French Embassy in Argentina, will take place between May 3 and May 14, 2012. 

The Festival will offer the public unique experiences, outstanding artistic performances, and fun national and international shows, including 18 shows and 51 performances by Circus companies from France,  Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Brazil and Chile, focusing on contemporary circus.

The exhibition "Monstration - La Motte", by Cirque Ici, will be open from April 27th, every day during the Festival, from 12pm, at Centro Municipal de Exposiciones, with free entrance.

Every day at Polo Circo, one hour before the first show, there will be free shows at the Reception Tent, and a large format open air international show by Compañía de Paso.

Venues:

Several big tops will be put up at "Buenos Aires Polo Circo", Combate de los Pozos 1700, in the neighborhood of Parque Patricios, and there will be activities in six other venues: 

Espacio Cultural Julián Centeya: Av. San Juan   3255

Centro Cultural Carlos Gardel: Olleros 3640

Centro Cultural Adán Buenos Aires: Av. Asamblea 1200/ Av. Eva Perón 1400

Centro Cultural General San Martín: Sarmiento 1551

Centro Municipal de Exposiciones: Couture 2231 (Av. Figueroa Alcorta & Pueyrredon)

Complejo Cultural Teatro 25 de Mayo: Av. Triunvirato 4444

The shows by Argentine companies are free of charge. Free tickets must be picked up at Casa de la Cultura, Av. de Mayo 575, 11am to 7pm. Maximum of 4 tickets per show, 2 shows per person.

Ticket sales for International shows (children under 3, free): advanced tickets can be purchased up to one day before the selected  performance, from 11am to 7pm, at the following points of sale:

Centro Cultural General San Martin: Sarmiento 1554, Centro.

Buenos Aires Polo Circo: Av Juan de Garay and Combate de Los Pozos, Parque Patricios

Complejo Cultutal Teatro 25 de Mayo, Av. Triunvirato 4444 (Villa Urquiza) 

Casa de la Cultura: Avenida de Mayo 575 - PB, Centro

On Internet through www.tuentrada.com

Due to bad weather conditions, the Nations Cup 2012 (Copa de las Naciones 2012), organized by the Argentine Polo Association, will now take place on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo (Av. Libertador y Dorrego).

This year the participating teams are the national selections of Argentina and Brazil, two of the greatest representatives of world polo, with a maximum handicap of 26 goals for each team. This unique tournament is an important new addition to the national and international polo calendar.

The events starts at 11:00am, with a match between two junior teams.

The main test match will kick off at 2:00 pm.

Teams:

Argentina: Gonzalo Pieres Jr 10, Facundo Pieres 10, Pablo Llorente (Jr), Carlos Deladino

Brazil: José Eduardo Kalil, Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade, Joao Paulo Ganon, Pedro Zacarias.

Tickets on sale through www.ticketek.com.ar or at the stadium on the day of the match.

One of the most important classics of the year, the "Gran Premio Republica Argentina" (GI), will take place on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012, at Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo, Av. Libertador & Dorrego.

This outstanding 2000-meter race gathers the best 3 years old and older pure thoroughbred horses of the national and foreign equestrian activity.

The Great Prize "Gran Premio Republica Argentina", at 5:25 pm,  will be the center of a spectacular journey that will start at 1:00 pm. Other five big prizes (GI) are included: in the day's schedule: Great International Prize of the Americas; Breeders' Prize; Great International Prize of Buenos Aires City;  Great Prize Jorge de Atucha; and the Great Award Montevideo.

Free entrance.

The Nations Cup 2012 (Copa de las Naciones 2012), organized by the Argentine Polo Association, will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo (Av. Libertador y Dorrego).

This year the participating teams are the national selections of Argentina and Brazil, two of the greatests representatives of world polo, with a maximum handicap of 26 goals for each team. This unique tournament is an important new addition to the national and international polo calendar.

The events starts at 11:00am, with a match between two junior teams. The main match will kick off at 2:00 pm.

Teams:

Argentina: Gonzalo Pieres Jr 10, Facundo Pieres 10, Pablo Llorente (Jr), Carlos Deladino

Brazil: José Eduardo Kalil, Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade, Joao Paulo Ganon, Pedro Zacarias.

Tickets on sale through www.ticketek.com.ar or at the stadium on the day of the match.

The múltiple world champion Sébastien Loeb will offer a new "road show" in the streets of Buenos Aires with its Citroën DS3 WRC, in an event with more surprises and special guests. 

The exhibition will take place next Saturday, April 21, 2012 facing the Law School (Facultad de Derecho), on Av. Figueroa Alcorta and Pueyrredon. 

The action will start at 2:00pm and will be part of the promotional activities ahead of the Rally de la Argentina 2012, that will be run in the province of Cordoba between April 26 and 29, and where the French pilot will try to secure his 70th victory.

The pilots of the official Citroën Racing team, Sébastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen, on the DS3 WRC, will have a direct contact with the public. The access is free of charge.

The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is the largest of its kind in the Spanish speaking world. It is considered one of the most important cultural and editorial events in Latin America, and a meeting point for authors, editors, book sellers, distributors, teachers, librarians, scientists, and over 1,200,000 readers from around the world. The Fair will take place from April 19th to May 7th, 2012, occupying the "Azul", "Verde", "Amarillo", "Rojo", "Ocre", "Blanco", and Nº 9 pavilions of La Rural exhibition complex, and Palacio Frers.  As every year, it will feature conferences, round-tables, talks with prestigious national and international intellectuals, book presentations, shows, activities for children and teenagers, events for specialists and publishing professionals, and book sales of literature in all languages.

One of the outstanding features of the Fair is the participation of internationally renowned authors. Some of the intellectuals that have confirmed their presence this year are: Mateo Belli (Italy), Sandra Cisneros (USA), Eduardo Galeano (Uruguay), Nestor Garcia Canclini (Argentina/Mexico), David Grossman (Israel), Bernardo Kliksberg (Argentina/USA), Alberto Manguel (Argentina/France), Daniel Pennac (Morocco), Carlos Peña (Chile), Niklas Schiöler (Sweden), among others.

The special activities of the Fair this year include: a Book Reading Marathon; the 7th International Poetry Festival; a Story-telling meeting; free courses and workshops; theater, dance, and music shows; kids and youth sectors.

On Saturday, April 29th, the fair will join the celebrations of "The Day of the City", with shows, contests, special activities, games, raffles, book signings, and many surprises for visitors. On that day the Book Fair will remain open until 1 am, with free entrance after 9.00 pm.

Location: La Rural Exhibition Center, Ave. Santa Fe and Sarmiento, Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Organized by the Argentine Scottish Association and the City of Buenos Aires, the Tartan Day 2012 will be celebrated on Saturday, April 14th, 2012 with a parade accompanied by typical music. The event will start at 3pm on Avenida de Mayo and Bolivar, celebrating the Scottish history and traditions with music, dance, crafts and typical products.

Tartan Day is a worldwide celebration in which the Scottish descendants remember their cultural legacy, history and people. 

Several shows will be presented, with the participation of: B.A Scottish Guard; Granaderos de Fernando VII; Valherjes and Legio Hispana IV, among others, as well as some other Scottish folkloric groups.

The Buenos Aires Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross), organized by the Association of Friends of Avenida de Mayo will be held on Good Friday (April 6) in celebration of the Holy Week of 2012.
The procession will cover the traditional Avenida de Mayo, starting at 8.30 PM at Plaza Lorea (Av de Mayo & Luis Sáenz Peña), and ending 10 PM at the altar set up at the Cathedral in Plaza de Mayo.

The procession will be led by the "Good Love Christ", a 1.8 m wood carving made in Lebanese cedar by Spanish artist Luis Álvarez Duarte, followed by a float with the image of Virgen Dolorosa (made by aborigines in 1780), and accompanied by a choir and musicians.

Throughout the procession actors will represent the 14 Stations of the Cross, and 20,000 candles will be given free to the public.

The event will not be suspended for rain.

The International Polo Series 2012 (Serie Internacional de Polo), organized by the Argentine Polo Association, will take place on April 3, 5, and 7, 2012 at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo (Av. del Libertador & Dorrego).

This unique tournament, with the participation of four high handicap international teams (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Rest of the World), is an important new addition to the national and international polo calendar.

Teams:

Argentina: Juan Zubiaurre (Jr) 3, Juan Ruiz Guiñazú (Jr) 6, Facundo Sola 7, Matías Torres Zavaleta 6. Total: 22. 

Rest of the world: Ollie Cudmore 4, Charlie Hanbury 5, Mark Tomlinson 7, Malcolm Borwick 6. Total: 22.

Chile: Felipe Vercellino 2, José Rafael Zegers 5, José Donoso 7, Jaime García Huidobro 8. Total: 22. 

Brazil: Angelo Antonio M. Bastos 5, Joao Gaspar M. Bastos 5, Luiz Paulo M. Bastos 7, Carlos Francisco M. Bastos 4. Total: 21.

Calendar of matches:

April 3: 

1 PM: Argentina vs Rest of the World

3 PM: Brazil vs Chile

April 5:  SUSPENDED
New date: April 6:
1 PM: Argentina vs Brazil
3 PM: Chile vs Rest of the World

April 7: POSTPONED
New date: April 8:
1 PM: Rest of the World vs Brazil
3 PM: Argentina vs Chile

All matches are open to the public with Free entrance. 

Since 1986, the Fair of Crafts and Popular Argentinian Traditions, better known as the Mataderos Fair (Feria de Mataderos), is open to the public on Sundays and National Holidays from 11 am to 7 pm in its winter schedule from March through December.

At the Mataderos Fair visitors can enjoy more than 500 traditional craft stalls from around the country and about 40 stalls of local products and food characteristic of our country: locro, humita, empanadas, tamales, asado, "choripan", tortas fritas.

As usual, gaucho skills as the Corrida de Sortijas, the traditional game of Pato (horse ball) are held every Sunday afternoon, as well as traditional parades of floats, the Gauchos Parades, and recreational activities for the whole family, like the Children's Film Club, and over 15 free workshops: Folk dance, Loom, Guitar, Charango, Sikus, Tango, wood carving, Quichua Language, Basketry, Ceramics, etc.

During the year many renowned artists are presented in the main stage, as well as folk music and dance groups that always accompany the Fair, many of which travel specially from various provinces of our country to be at the Fair, a wonderful opportunity to showcase their music.

Throughout the year several special events are held, with a prominent priority for National Holidays: May 25th (May Revolution), July 9th (Independence Day), October 12th  (Reaffirmation of the rights of indigenous peoples), November 10th  (Tradition Day), and in the month of June the celebration of the Mataderos Fair's birthday.

"Nuestros Caballos 2012" (Our Horses 2012), the most important equestrian exhibition in Latin America, will be held at La Rural Exhibition Center from April 4 to April 8, 2012, with equestrian and recreational activities for the whole family.

Children and adults alike will be able to see, in the heart of the city, over  700 horses specially brought from different spots in the country for this exhibition, from the main breeds that are raised in Argentina: Criolla, Árabe, Cuarto de Milla, Polo Argentino, Silla Argentino, Tiro Argentino, Percherón, Petiso, Peruano de Paso, Appaloosa, Paint Horse and Pura Raza Española.

The program of activities of "Nuestros Caballos" will include a variety of attractions, such as:

There will be a sector specially designed for children, where they will be able to take their first steps in horse back riding and have fun at the recreational area called "Los Potrillitos" (The little foals), with activities specially designed for toddlers and small kids.

"Nuestros Caballos" will also be the venue for the "5th International Journey on Equine Therapy", where outstanding specialists will lecture on the latest news on this important therapeutic method.

Location: La Rural Exhibition Center. Av. Sarmiento 2704

Dates: April 4 - 8, 2012

Opening hours 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Entry fee: $ 20 Pesos. Children under 8: Free

More information: Nuestros Caballos official website

Argentina will be hosting Croatia for the Quarterfinals of the Davis Cup 2012 at the Estadio Parque Roca in Buenos Aires on April 6, 7, and 8, 2012.
Argentina are playing in the World Group quarterfinals for the eleventh straight year, which is the best ongoing run of any nation in Davis Cup.
Argentina and Croatia are meeting for a third time.

The dates and times of the matches are:
Friday 6th, 10:30 am
Saturday 7th, 12:00 pm
Sunday 8th, 10:30 am.

Team nominations:
Argentina: Juan Martín del Potro, Juan Monaco, David Nalbandian, Eduardo Shwank
Croatia: Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic, Antonio Veic, Lovro Zovko

Location: Estadio Parque Roca. Av. Roca y Escalada, Buenos Aires.
Tickets are on sale at Ticketek Argentina website.
More information: Davis Cup official website.

For the first time after sixty years the city of Buenos Aires will organize a car race on a street circuit. This will occur when Super TC2000 strolls the city streets on the 2nd date of the 3M Argentine Championship SuperTC2000 on April 1st, 2012. 

The circuit will have an extension of 3080 meters and will run in the streets of Av 9 de Julio, between Viamonte and Avenida de Mayo, Diagonal Norte, and Avenida de Mayo, between Bolivar and 9 de Julio Avenue. 

The TC 2000 (Turismo Competicion 2000) is a touring car racing competition recognized as one of the world's best in its category for its sports quality and famous drivers. 30 teams and 25 top level drivers will participate in this event. 

The classification rounds and promotional activities will take place on Saturday, March 31st, and the Gran Prix will be run on Sunday, April 1st, with it’s start at the Obelisco. The activities on both days will begin at 10:00am, with the following schedule:

Saturday 31:
10:00 am - 12:30 pm: Training 1
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm: Training 2
2:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Classification
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Training 3

Sunday 1: 
11:10 am: Previous lap
11:12 am: Race 14 laps FLC
12:30 pm: STC2000 Opening boxes
12:40 pm: Grid show
12:45 pm: National Anthem
1:00 pm: Previous lap
1:05 pm: 36 lap race
2:10 pm: Podium

The event is open to the public with free access.