Here’s your Buenos Aires recommendations for painting the town this weekend. If vinyls and a good glass of wine can’t tempt you, maybe a sidewalk party with karaoke and two dance floors will. Or perhaps an art exhibit that taps into recent Argentine history.

No go-to karaoke song? What if we twisted your arm with independent cinema or hot air balloons? We’ll get you out of the house one way or another.

BAFICI – 26th Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival

Tuesday April 1 through Sunday April 13
Various times and locations across the city
Tickets ARS$3,000, with discounts for students and retirees

The Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI) returns for its 26th year, featuring 641 screenings covering 298 films from 44 countries. Filmmakers, critics, producers, and the public turn out for an event that brings together independent cinema from Argentina and the world.

Teatro San Martín is the heart of the thirteen-day festival which includes screenings, director talks, discussions, conferences, and panel debates with prominent members of the national and international film industry.

A special program of British rock documentaries will be in focus at this BAFICI. There will also be a sidebar called Britannia B Side: We Will Rock You featuring nine films that focus on British pop and rock artists, as well as the UK music scene.

Hot Air Balloon Festival: BA Flota

Wednesday April 2 — 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Parque de la Ciudad (Av. Fernández de la Cruz 4.000, Villa Lugano)
Tickets start at ARS$15,750

Come and watch the balloons take flight at the first Buenos Aires Hot Air Balloon Festival. The afternoon is scheduled with activities and entertainment, including an inflatable park, family-friendly shows, a classic car exhibition, an aviation display, and mini balloons to take pictures with.

There will be food and drink vendors, as well as live music. The hot air balloons will begin to inflate at 6 p.m. followed by a “night glow” event, with a DJ and a light show.

The festival is extremely subject to weather conditions as the balloons need almost no wind in order to take flight, so be sure to check your forecast because the event will be reprogrammed if the weather isn’t right.

La Casa del Árbol 13th Birthday Celebration

Saturday 29 — 8 p.m.
La Casa del Árbol (Av. Córdoba 5217, Palermo)
Free entry

Iconic cultural center and bar La Casa del Árbol in Palermo is celebrating its thirteenth birthday with some fierce festivities.

Get ready for a street fire and sidewalk event with some good vibes and awesome food. Expect a street grill of veggie and meat choripan, with foosball and board games, multiple DJs, karaoke, special guest performances, two dance floors, and of course, cake. If you don’t have Saturday plans yet, this is gonna be a good one.

Wine and Vinyl’s at Ostende

Saturday 29 — 8 p.m.
Ostende (Virrey Loreto 3303, Colegiales)

Vintage bodegón Ostende is hosting a Vinito, Vinilos y Vos event built for gathering with friends on the sidewalk to savor a variety of dishes, small bites, wine, music, and nostalgia.

Seeing as the 29th is gnocchi day, the menu will feature a sweet potato gnocchi with beef stew and a vegetarian gnocchi with creamy zucchini sauce. Expect an all-vinyl DJ set during the evening from Coolkid & Lukas. Along with wine to taste, and vinyls to peruse.

Identity and Art: Jorgelina Paula Molina Planas’ Inner Geographies – Reconstruction

Palacio Belgrano-Otamendi
Sarmiento 1401, San Fernando
Room 3. Closes on April 8

Jorgelina Paula Molina Planas is an artist, teacher, and the child of disappeared parents. After the military dictatorship murdered her mother in 1977, she was illegally abducted at the age of 4 and later adopted by a family who erased her true identity. After democracy was restored, she managed to regain her identity and reconnect with her family, thus becoming the 25th disappeared grandchild to do so.

Her art exhibition Innner Geographies – Reconstruction gathers letters, photographs, and documents from her personal archives, and taps into the issue of identity as a reconstruction process.

In the artists words: “All of my work reflects a constant process of identity search, hence the diversity of techniques and styles. Here, I present myself and what I’ve been able to reconstruct throughout the years. That is why there is a double signature in my work: Carolina-Jorgelina. I’m the sum of all these pieces of a puzzle I’ve slowly been able to put together thanks to the help of the people who supported me.”