Photo from a fashion show at a one off party: blmurch
Whether you’re just visiting or looking to make Buenos Aires your home, you’ll be spending time in a city with a worldwide reputation for its nightlife.
Yes, man. I’m pretty sure it’s still there.
Outside Cocoliche, Photo: axeldelviaje
Much of what you hear is true. Even seasoned night owls will be tested. When the sun’s rising but your porteño friends are hailing a taxi to get to yet another after-party, you might start to wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into.
In a city with so many creative and talented people planning parties, whatever your Lonely Planet recommends is most likely going to be out of date long before your plane touches down. So what’s the best way to get to know your clubbing options?
To do it right, you’ve got to keep on moving which means you won’t be staying in the same club all night long. Once you start making connections, you’ll start finding out about DJ nights and free parties to sprinkle in between those mentioned here.
Free is a big deal. How else could you possibly survive financially when the weekend begins on Tuesday?
Warming Up
Start by having a drink in a low key spot like one of Microcentro’s regal dueling former mansions, Le Bar and Milion. Milion is older and classier, but you’re more likely to be asked, “Do you tango?” by a blonde lady from New York if you go there.
Le Bar is really cool for something that sounds like a failed idea at spicing up the Chevette. It’s given up its walls to local graffiti artists and has a spot where you can lounge on pillows, but closes “early.” Both spots are pretty arty, and by extension, gay friendly. If you want to have a drink somewhere that’s self-described as “hetero-friendly,” then head over to the Axel Hotel, where there’s a pool, occasional DJs and art series, and a lot of hot guys.
Photo in Milion courtesy of the author
One-Offs and Special Parties
From 3 until 6, the most fun thing to do is find and attend special parties. Once the gloss has worn off the best haunts Palermo has to offer, you can start digging underground.
Whether it’s Vice taking over a football club with A-Trak and some garage band from Montreal or a bunch of BA artists and DJs enacting an epic night of debauchery as part of the latest Trashmission or War Club party, these are usually the most fun, and also an exception to the rule of “don’t stay in one place all night long.”
Weekly Events
As for traditional clubs, for the latest hipster take on cumbia, I recommend checking out Thursday night’s Zizek at least once. The reason I’m far from the only one recommending it is that it’s awesome.
Photo: blmurch
I was lucky enough to be there for local group Tremor’s record release party, which meant neon graphics made in real-time by VJs while cumbia beats were mashed up with hip-hop hits from the States. All this went down before Tremor took the stage and did a live mix of M.I.A.’s “Boys” with huge drums.
It’s a pricey night for “underground” standards, but get on the list by sending an email and show up before 2am. Voila! Free.
Free is a big deal. How else could you possibly survive financially when the weekend begins on Tuesday?
Another weekly event worth checking out is Club Namunkura, a Saturday-only party run by fabulous drag queens.
Resident DJ Towa Hot recently made headlines when she played the Four Seasons private party for Madonna’s new boyfriend, Jesus. The photos were all over the tabloids and may have given 15 minutes of fame to some of Namunkura’s classiest and most creative. Namunkura deserves its own attention for its well-executed themes, impeccable style, and a chance to hear forgotten 90s classics mixed in with above-average disco and house.
A noteworthy addendum for between 3 and 6 if you’re looking for a more typical electronic night, is to head to Levitar, where everyone I know who adores minimal or lived in Berlin goes religiously.
Photo (and feature photo) of Namunkura: blmurch
Not to be confused with an erectile dysfunction drug by nearly the same name, Levitar skirts the city’s no-smoking rule by having half the bar technically located outside in an open-air courtyard – charming and a godsend in the summer, not so great in the winter.
Early Morning and After Parties
Around 6 or 7, the after-hours have officially begun. Congratulations! You’re not done yet. If you’re not heading to someone’s private party, you’re probably going to Miloca in Palermo, where you can literally watch the sun rise while dancing on their patio. It’s regal, decadent, and definitely not something I recommend trying to pull off every night.
If you want to flee Palermo, head to Cocoliche, a massive dance space with laser lights designed to keep the attention of even the most ADD and hallucinogen addled. You can literally keep dancing until one in the afternoon inside Cocoliche.
Final Words of Advice for 24-Hour Professional Party People
Now that you’re armed with the proper information, remember to get enough sleep, eat a healthy dinner, and by no means do I recommend trying to maintain this lifestyle for more than three nights a week. The folks you’re up against are serious professionals, and unless you’re ready to be nocturnal, a night of rampant Buenos Aires nightlife is best left for special occasions rather than your daily routine.
Community Connection
Feel like sticking to Palermo when you’re out and about in Buenos Aires? Be sure to check out Eve Hyman’s piece that tells you just where to go.
Interested in a day in the life of Matador Senior Editor in Buenos Aires? Check out A City de Mierda y Capos.
Maybe you want to temper all that partying with some volunteer work while you’re in Argentina? If so, check out this volunteer opportunity in the Matador Travel Community.
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10 Comments... join the discussion!
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I seriously want to go, but am very scared at the same time…don’t know if my body could handle it at this point in my life.
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This piece brought back some fond memories…
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I love this picture! the girl is very beautiful,you could say she is glowing! i think she is Fijian! Awesome!!
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C’mon.
Before u visit Buenos Aires, Argentina u need to know Brazil. It’s closer and more interesting. If u look for a big metropole you can go to São Paulo, bigger than BA, richer and it is the biggest gastronomic center on earth. If u look for a big city with incredible beaches how about Rio, Florianopolis, Salvador, Recife? If you look modern architeture go to Brasilia. Amazing city. Looking for savannas? Go to pantanal? Do you like Niagara falls? Iguaçu falls are bigger and more beatiful. Have you ever seen a desert with a lot of lagoons? Go to Lenções. Don’t forget the biggest rainforest in the world, go to Manaus or Belém.
Wow! All of this and more is in only one country. Brazil.
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OMG..your set at KIMY BAlllroom on friday, saved my life! thanks so much!
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great article! when i visited last winter it was just as crazy as this made it sound…
i visited iguazu when i was in south america and there’s not much going on there at night except for a whole lot of animal noises. it’s a national park, not a party. not that the point of the article seemed to be to talk about brazil at all, though…
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Gosh!
Nite life in South America is amazing. Much better than in North America and as good as in Europe. My tips:
Colombia: Bogota and baraquilla have a good nite life on the street.
Peru – Cuzco is amazing, many niteclubs and people from all parts of the world.
Argentina – Buenos Aires has a good niteclubs such as Pacha. Cordoba is a university city and many bars u can find down there.
Brazil – Definitively it is the country of parties. Rio you can find good niteclubs and many parties on the street like Salvador. Sao Paulo was surprising. Brazilians say that Sao Paulo never stops. They are right, the nitelife there is comparing to Ibiza in summer, but the difference is the parties are all year long. There you can find Pacha, The Week niteclub, The Edge, etc. I love it.bye!
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great photo by Beatrice Murch of the Tranqui Yanqui fashion show!
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@Daniel and others
Come on Daniel!!! Brazil & Arg are a different story.. no doubt Brazil is beautiful and offers a wide range of options but there’s after a while you get tired of the same stuff, yeah Sao Paulo is a metropoli but not .. wow! Rio away from Copacabana area turned really not cool for me…
If I would spend my money in another trip to South America or suggest places to friends, Buenos Aires is definitely the one not to miss….
It’s the mix of cultures, you see European styles mixed with the “colonial one” typical of Argentina plus some ingredients from every single soul that stepped in that land throughout its history. No doubt, in Buenos Aires you smell culture, and of the good kind.. everything is special, the nightlife is not just jumping and chopping up and down, you move from tango to folk music to a good concert of classical music and you can finish at a very cool trance party.
Also its people, kind, generous, learned and open-minded, refined..The few “gauchos” I met in the countryside were so welcoming and educated.. really it was a pleasure.
.. and yes, Argentina is not only BAires, you can go to the desert areas as well, the falls in Iguazu, the mountains in the central area, the glacier P. Moreno, you can even see whales near you… amazing, you can enjoy the warmer areas of the North.. and yes, you can get at the same time snow in case you want to ski (in Brazil not)…
ok,.. for some reason I met so many Brazilians in Argentina and all of them were delighted with the place.hey people, if you wanna INVEST, GO TO ARGENTINA!!! Brazil shouldn’t be missed but no comparison between the 2….
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