Get Out! Springtime for Frida, plus French foodies and samba!

If you’re done with posting AI photos of yourself in 1980s style, drop your phone and gear up for — finally! — springtime in Buenos Aires. The city is wasting no time getting into the spirit: MALBA celebrates 25 years with four days of free art, music and film, while ArPa brings a boutique contemporary art fair to Casa Victoria Ocampo. 

Meanwhile, Frida Kahlo gets the exhibition treatment, German cinema takes over Recoleta and French cuisine gets its own 12-day festival. The food calendar is just as busy, with all sorts of pop-ups around town. Add samba, Arthurian fantasy and major live acts including Jamiroquai and Alex Anwandter, and there’s little excuse to stay home this weekend.

As always, the Herald’s got you covered.

MALBA turns 25 Sept. 18 to 21
MALBA (Avenida Presidente Figueroa Alcorta 3415, Palermo)
Admission: Free

MALBA celebrates its quarter of a century with four days of art, music and film, throwing the doors open for free. The celebrations include the opening of Viva Frida and Latinoamérica en expansión (Expanding Latin America), Frida Kahlo-inspired workshops, an international seminar and outdoor DJ sets in Plaza Perú. 

Sunday brings a Haute Couture Week tribute fashion show, followed by an open-air screening of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis with live music. 

Monday wraps things up with a special Reading Festival, Mexican folk music, themed food and a screening of Frida, Naturaleza Viva (Frida, Living Nature). From exhibitions and workshops to DJs and classic cinema, there’s plenty to dip into — and it won’t cost you a peso.

Viva Frida Sept. 19
MALBA (Avenida Presidente Figueroa Alcorta 3415, Palermo)

The exceptional exhibition Viva Frida brings Frida Kahlo’s personal world to MALBA, with objects from the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico set alongside key paintings and photographs. Organized by Argentina’s Haute Couture Week and the museum under curator Elina Costantini, the exhibition explores how clothing and self-representation became central to Kahlo’s artistic and personal identity. 

Garments, accessories, orthopedic devices, photographs, letters and archival material reveal how the great Mexican artist turned her image into a powerful language of identity, politics, gender and disability. 

Buenos Arens: Kiia Rens in BA Sept. 19, 4 to 10 p.m
Sept 20, 3 to 7:30 p.m.
Galería MADA (Bolivar 883)
Admission: Free

Buenos Aires gets a dose of international printmaking as top artist and Pop Art figure Kiia Rens brings BUENOS ARENS to Galería MADA. The artist who created concert posters for iconic bands like Radiohead, Beck, and DEVO will produce new screen prints on site while showcasing a selection of his best work. The opening night will feature music by Gori Sey and Santi Melchiorre.

Cuisine: French Foodie Festival French food takes over Buenos Aires for 12 days with the first edition of Cuisine, Buenos Aires French Foodie Festival. Twelve venues will host a menu of culinary experiences, from cooking and pastry classes to tastings, workshops, visits and special dinners. 

Highlights include a tour of L’Epi with baker Bruno Gillot, the first French bakery to open in Argentina; a taste of French classics by Christophe Krywonis at Mon Poulet; and a French wine tasting at Club Marchand led by sommelier Florencia Alvarez. 

Other activities range from making chocolate mousse, croissants and macarons to wine-and-cheese tastings, a dinner devoted to French classics, a sensory exploration of fragrances with a perfumer and a visit to a goat farm.

Roda de Samba Sept. 18, 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
C Art Media (Avenida Corrientes 2671)
Admission: Free for the first 1,000; tickets thereafter via Passline

Get a taste of Brazilian spirit with Tudo Muito Gostoso, the country’s biggest roda de samba returning to C Art Media for a night of live music, dancing and flavor. Vai Pra Lá Samba will perform live, with DJ Diyaneiro, By La Coneja China and the drums of Cafundó keeping things moving. 

The night kicks off with a forró class by No Fim do Mundo before the samba takes over, with surprise guests, caipirinhas and food along the way. Bring a non-perishable food donation for Club Playón de Chacarita. The event is for ages 18 and over.

ArPa Buenos Aires Art Fair Sept. 18 to 20, noon to 7 p.m.
Casa Victoria Ocampo (Rufino de Elizalde 2831)
Admission with prior registration at ArPa Buenos Aires’ website

ArPa, the contemporary art fair born in São Paulo five years ago, arrives in Argentina for the first time, turning Casa Victoria Ocampo into a boutique meeting point for galleries, artists, collectors and cultural figures from across the region. 

The Buenos Aires edition brings together 16 Argentine galleries, including Calvaresi, MAMAN Fine Art, Rolf Art + Del Infinito, Vasari, MC Galería, Constitución + La Mala, Cott, Al Sur, Hache, Nora Fisch + Pasto, Isla Flotante + Cosmocosa, Otto, Coral Gallery and Galería María Casado. Expect a compact showcase of contemporary art in one of Palermo’s most distinctive cultural spaces.

FILM Excalibur with Fiorella Sargenti at Cine York Sept. 20, 8 p.m.
Cine York (Juan Bautista Alberdi 895, Olivos)
Admission: Free, with limited capacity and entry on a first-come, first-served basis

Cine York’s “Érase una vez con” (Once Upon a Time with…) series invites cultural journalist Fiorella Sargenti to introduce John Boorman’s 1981 fantasy epic Excalibur. Before the screening, Sargenti will offer her take on the film, from its Arthurian legends and enchanted forests to its gleaming armor, magic, betrayal and violence. 

Inspired by Thomas Malory’s medieval account of King Arthur, Boorman’s film is not so much a fairy tale as it is a dark, dreamlike vision, powered by striking imagery and a soundtrack featuring Wagner, Carl Orff and Trevor Jones. Come for the swords and sorcery, stay for Sargenti’s cinematic perspective. 

German Film Festival Sept. 17 to 23
Cinépolis Recoleta (Vicente López 2050, Recoleta)
Admission: AR$15,000; Movieclub AR$13,000. Five-film pass AR$60,000; 10-film pass AR$112,000

The German Film Festival returns for its 26th edition with 13 films showcasing the range of contemporary German cinema. The lineup opens with The Man Who Disappears, Welf Reinhart’s debut about a woman whose life is shaken when her former husband, now suffering from dementia, reappears. 

Director Kilian Armando Friedrich visits Argentina with I Understand Your Discontent, about a cleaning-company boss facing workplace troubles and power struggles. Also screening is Mascha Schilinski’s The Sound of Falling, a Cannes Jury Prize winner about a German farm hiding generations of secrets. 

POP UPS
B’Moodie x Calu Corso Sept. 20, noon to 7 p.m.
B’Moodie – Palermo OFF (Beruti 3336)

Burger lovers, take note: chef Calu Corso is taking over B’Moodie’s Palermo kitchen for a one-day pop-up. The chef behind Piedra Pasillo, Mad Pasta and Garabato has created a special burger featuring potato-and-seed bread, beef, smoked white cheddar, crispy oyster mushrooms, truffle mayo and seasoned sweet potatoes. 

The collaboration brings Corso’s cooking into B’Moodie’s deluxe burger universe, known for premium ingredients and Japanese-inspired touches. Expect a limited-edition menu celebrating the arrival of spring — and a very good excuse to head to Palermo hungry.

Obrador Florida x Santé Sept. 20, 3 to 6 p.m. or until sold out
Obrador Florida (Soler 5063)
Admission: Free; food sold separately

Buenos Aires meets Montevideo for a sweet afternoon as Obrador Florida welcomes Santé Postres y Afines for a one-day pop-up. Mercedes Román and Irene del Pont will bring their projects together through special candies, ice creams and desserts inspired by the flavors and memories of the Río de la Plata. 

Expect playful twists on their signature creations: Román’s take on Santé’s classic Besi, while the Uruguayan team turns Obrador’s marshmallows into its signature gummy bears. The ice cream counter will feature two exclusive flavors: panela cream and arazá sorbet. 

Chula Gálvez joins as a special guest with her take on the classic Baked Alaska. Everything is available while stocks last.

Eléctrica Pizza x Strange 2 Sept. 22, from 7 p.m.
Strange 2 (Concepción Arenal 4768)
Admission: Free; first come, first served, until sold out

Chacarita says goodbye to winter with a pizza-and-beer pop-up as Eléctrica Pizza takes over Strange 2 for Pizza Birra Chaca. The menu features sourdough pizzas made with organic flour, plus classic and provolone-topped fainá. 

Choices include Argenta with mozzarella, tomato sauce and olives; Potato with roasted potatoes, rosemary and Parmesan; Magic Mushroom with portobello and pine mushrooms and truffle oil; Nolita with burrata, pesto and hot honey; and 4 Fantásticos with smoked provolone, blue cheese and citrus syrup. 

Strange Brewing will pour its rotating selection of craft beers, while Maxi Leivas spins vinyl throughout the night. Come hungry: the pizzas are available until stock runs out.

Spring at Sifón Sept. 20, from 8 p.m.
Sifón Sodería (Jorge Newbery 3881)

Celebrate the arrival of spring with a special night at Sifón Sodería. Chef Lucas Canga takes over the kitchen at the Chacarita outpost, while Carpano vermouth sets up a dedicated bar and DJ Santiago Santín provides the soundtrack. 

There’s also a 2-for-1 deal on Vermucito all night, mixing Carpano with spiced chai tincture and soda. Because, if the weather helps, nothing beats a springtime evening with cocktails, food and music in the heart of Chacagiales.

MUSIC Jamiroquai September 17, 9 p.m.
San Isidro Racetrack (Av. Márquez 700)
Admission AR$ 95,000-250,000

Led by superstar Jay Kay, the legendary English funk and acid jazz band is celebrating the 30th anniversary of landmark album “Virtual insanity”, and also the recording of new songs after a 10-year hiatus.

Alex Andwandter September 18, 9 p.m.
Teatro Gran Rex (Corrientes 957)
Admission AR$ 43,000-103,000

This Chilean singer-songwriter and producer commemorates his two decades of career with a retrospective setlist and special guests such as Juliana Gattas, Emmanuel Horvilleur, Marcelo Moura, and Juan Saieg.

Lebón-Aznar play Serú Girán September 20, 9 p.m.
Movistar Arena (Humboldt 450)
Admission AR$ 100,000

David Lebón and Pedro Aznar continue their comeback shows with songs by Serú Girán, their famous group of the late 70s. This will be their seventh concert at this venue.