The French Week in Buenos Aires "Vivi Francia 2009" will take place from October 26 to November 4, 2009, organized by the French-Argentine Commerce and Industry Chamber (CCIFA), and sponsored by the French Embassy and the Ministry of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires. A series of activities to enjoy French culture, art, gastronomy, fashion, music and architecture, free and open to all, including guided visits to French buildings in Buenos Aires, a movie festival at Alliance Francaise, make-up and fashion shows, art exhibitions, and a gastronomic festival.

Some of the scheduled activities are:

Guided visits:

Monday 26, 3 pm: Parisian corners of Buenos Aires - Av. Alvear & Cerrito

Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28, 5 pm: Legislative Palace - Peru 160

Wednesday 28, 3 pm: Art, Palaces and Landscapes - Av. Santa Fe & Maipu (San Martin Monument)

Business:

Wednesday 28, 10 am to 7 pm: French-Argentine Business Forum - Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt (registration required)

Cinema:

Monday 26, Tuesday 27, Friday 29, Saturday 30, 8 pm: Movies by David Teboul at Alliance Francaise.

Exhibitions:

Saturday 31, 6 pm: Inauguration of "Images of the Louvre: Six Centuries of French Paintings", in the streets of La Boca.

Wednesday 4, 7 pm: Inauguration of the exhibition "Charles Thays, a French Gardener" - Centro Cultural Recoleta, Junin 1930.

Language:

Conversation groups "Degustation de Francais", every day at a different location (minimum charge of $ 30 pesos)

Music:

Tuesday 27, 8.15 pm: concert homage to Georges Brassens - Espacio Ultra, San Martin 678.

Science:

Visit of Mrs Francoise Barre-Sinousi, Nobel Prize in Medicine 2008.

Fashion and beauty:

Monday 26 to Sunday 1, 4 pm to 9 pm: talks and workshops at Living Frances Renault, Paseo Alcorta Shopping Mall.

Wedsnesday 28 to Sunday 1: Festival Givenchy

Gastronomy:

Festival Gourmet at Sofitel Buenos Aires

Soirees Culturelles at Sofitel Buenos Aires (minimum charge of $ 30 pesos per person)

All the activities are free of charge, some of them with a limited capacity.

For more information, complete daily schedules, and registrations, visit "Vivi Francia 2009" official website (in Spanish only).

Expotrastiendas, the art fair organized by the Argentine Association of Art Galleries (Asociación Argentina de Galerías de Arte or AAGA) since 2001 aims to promote and disseminate visual arts, helping artists to show their production in a different context, which attracts collectors and buyers as well as the general public. Expotrastiendas and AAGA jointly organize different cultural events, such as seminars, contests and exhibitions, which foster and provide dynamism to the art market.

Dates: October 16 - 20, 2009

Location: Centro de Exposiciones de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Figueroa Alcorta Avenue and Pueyrredón Avenue

Tickets:

General: AR$15

Retirees and Students: AR$8

Children under 12: free admission

Expotrastiendas official website.

The 116th Hurlingham Club Open Championship, the oldest Polo tournament in the world, will kick off this Wednesday, October 14, 2009, with the participation of the eight best world wide Polo teams and the top ranked polo players.

The Hurlingham Club Open is the second of the championships in the Argentine Polo season that make up the "Triple Crown", following the Tortugas Open Championship and preceding the Argentine Open Championship.

Don´t miss the opportunity of attending this world class event. You can experience Polo the Argentine way. Contact me so I can arrange transportation for you.

Zones:

Zone A: La Aguada Tupungato, Pilará Piaget, Chapa Uno and Alegria.

Zona B: Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra, La Dolfina Peugeot, Indios Chapaleufú II and El Paraiso.

Schedule of matches:

Wednesday, October 14- Zone A
Suspended for rain. New dates and schedule:

Thursday, October 15 - Zone B
2:00 PM Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra vs El Paraíso (3)
4:00 PM La Dolfina Peugeot vs Indios Chapaleufú II (4)
Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra 16 - El Paraíso 8

La Dolfina Peugeot 18 - Indios Chapaleufú II 17

Saturday, October 17 - Zone A
1:00 PM La Aguada Tupungato vs Alegria (1)
3:00 PM Pilará Piaget vs Chapa Uno (2)
La Aguada Tupungato 19 -Alegria 13

Pilará Piaget 16 - Chapa Uno 14

Sunday, October 18 – Zone B
2:00 PM La Dolfina vs El Paraiso
4:00 PM Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra vs Indios Chapaleufú II 

2:00 PM Pilará Piaget vs. Alegría

4:00 PM La Aguada Tupungato Winelands vs. Chapa Uno Hope Funds 
La Aguada Tupungato Winelands 10 - Chapa Uno Hope Funds 8

Saturday, October 24 – Zone A // For the Mexico Cup

12:00 PM El Paraíso vs. Indios Chapaleufú II (Canceled due to rain)

4:00 PM Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra vs. La Dolfina Peugeot 
Ellerstina Etiqueta Negra 19 - La Dolfina Peugeot 13 

Sunday, October 25 – Zone B // For the YPF Cup

2:00 PM Alegría vs. Chapa Uno Hope Funds

4:00 PM La Aguada Tupungato Winelands vs. Pilará Piaget

Result:

Saturday, October 31 - CANCELED FOR RAIN

New date: 
Friday, November 6
FINAL 116th HURLINGHAM OPEN

4:00 PM ELLERSTINA ETIQUETA NEGRA vs LA AGUADA

ELLERSTINA ETIQUETA NEGRA 14 -LA AGUADA 12

The schedule of matches is subject to modifications depending on weather conditions. Check for updates in case of changes.

The fifth edition of Buenos Aires Photo will take place at Palais de Glace in Recoleta from October 28th through November 1st, 2009. This is the only art fair specialized in Photography in Latin America.

This exhibition brings together more than 30 galleries from different countries like: Argentina, Chile, Perú, United States, and Spain.

The works by the finalists of the Petrobras Buenos Aires Photo Award 2009 will be presented,  as well as special sections dedicated to Esteban Pastorino, Sameer Makarius, Nicola Constantino, and contemporary photography  from Berlin. There will be conferences and book presentations every day during the fair.

For more information on participating galleries and schedule of lectures, visit Buenos Aires Photo 2009 official website.

Dates: October 28 to November 1, 2009

Location: Palais de Glace. Posadas 1725

Opening hours: 1 PM to 9 PM

Entry Fee: AR$ 20