Feria de Mataderos

The Feria de Mataderos began in 1986 beside the old municipal stockyards, where cattle from the pampas were once driven into the city, and it set out to keep rural traditions visible in an urban capital. Every fair weekend the streets around the Recova fill with several hundred stalls selling leatherwork, silver mate gear, woven ponchos, knives and regional food, from locro and empanadas to tortas fritas cooked on the spot. A stage runs folk music through the day and the street becomes a dance floor for chacarera and zamba. The distinctive element is the sortija, a horseback game in which riders gallop at full speed to spear a small ring hanging above the street.

What you actually see

• The craft stalls - leather, silver mate gear, ponchos and knives.
• The regional food - locro, empanadas and fried pastries cooked at the stalls.
• The folk dancing - chacarera and zamba danced in the street to live music.
• The sortija - riders galloping to spear a hanging ring.

When to go

The fair runs on weekends from around March to December, usually Sundays, moving to Saturday evenings in the hottest weeks and pausing in high summer. Arriving early afternoon catches the crafts; the riding and dancing build later.

Honest expectations

Dates and hours shift with the season and are sometimes cancelled by rain, so checking before travelling matters. The neighbourhood is far from the tourist centre and takes time to reach. Crowds are dense in the food area.

Nearby

Central Buenos Aires lies east; the fair is a destination in itself rather than part of a route.