Arlington, VA  – The 32nd ANNUAL ARGENTINE FESTIVAL celebrates Argentine National Day on May 11, 2019 with a day-long celebration of Argentine culture, featuring celebrated musicians from the U.S. and abroad. This year’s headliner is harmonica virtuoso Fabricio Rodriguez, who has performed at all of Argentina’s major music festivals. The other 50 artists to perform include the top vocalist and World Music Band from Argentina. (See more about the artists here.)  Video promo

This Incredible Festival Argentino Is A Barbecue Lover’s Dream Come True. The first beef imported by Tango Imports to the U.S. from Argentina in more than 17 years will land in the Washington Metropolitan area at the Festival Argentino. The uniqueness of Argentinian beef is a testament to its’ rich and tender flavor.

Along with musical performances, the festival will include vendors and artisans of traditional crafts, ranging from jewelers to weavers. Activities before the music include Kids Draw ideas and thoughts about “Copa America in Brazil”, family soccer outdoor from 2-5pm, and from 4-6pm the Sonrisas y Lagrimita children’s show. Take Folklore classes. There is free parking and a raffle included in the admission ticket. Win a Round Trip flight from Washington, D.C. to Buenos Aires, courtesy of Copa Airlines.

And then there’s the food! May happens to be National Barbecue Month, and at the festival you can purchase authentic Argentinean barbecue, or asado – beef, chicken, chorizo and morcilla – grilled on an authentic parrilla by the restaurant Pampa's Fox. Or try iconic snacks like empanadas and choripan. Luckily, the day of the festival – May 11 – is the excuse you need to feast on Argentine delicacies! Join us SATURDAY MAY 11, 2019, at 4:00pm at Kenmore Middle School Auditorium, 200 South Carlin Springs Road, Arlington, Virginia. Tickets available online for $20 (no refunds).  8oz Angus Flank Angus Steak, served with lettuce and tomato salad $13.

MC Arely Perez & Guess will host the event. Highlights include the U.S. Tour of Argentina’s 21 Century Along with headliner Fabricio Rodriguez, this year's performers include:

·       OMAR NUNEZ  “El Chimpa” Singer autor. He edited his recent record material entitled "SR FORASTERO".

·       40 DEGREES fuses their own songs with songs from the popular Argentine songbook. EMBOYERE, mixture of Andrelatina of carnival music. RUBEN GIMENEZ & MARCOS PEREYRA - Gimenez performs colorful melodies, showing his home province of Entre Rios as "a different land". Singer, composer, and guitarist Marcos Pereyra joins Gimenez in performing regional classics with Chamarrita and Chámame rhythms.

·       OSCAR MAGALLANES   Director & Professor of the Chakaymanta dance school, with partner Blanch Xeinoum, perform a large repertoire of dances and songs from various regions of Argentina, Chile, and the United States. Their dance has been described as “always full of wild freshness and vital freshness” and “always expressing the heroic spirit and the vibrant soul of the Argentine people”. 

·       MARIELA DESIA is an interpreter, writer, and composer of folklore music. She is presenting her new material "Songs and Emotions.

·        VIVIANA RETTORI & JOSE ROJAS  Viviana (from Misiones, Argentina) and José (from Entre Ríos, Argentina) are independent dancers and professors of traditional Argentine dances with a long record of performances in major festivals in Argentina and the United States.

·       ALBERTO CUELLO A folklore singer from Entre Ríos with years of experience, Cuello will be presenting a new CD ‘ENTRERRIANO” at the 2019 Festival Argentino.

·       While the above artists are direct from Argentina, we will also feature top talented local artists with Argentine roots, including:

·       Carlos Gutiérrez Tango Instructor, performer, choreographer, & author Gutiérrez has been professionally teaching Argentine Tango for more than thirty years in the Washington, DC area and around the world. He is also the author of “The Body Language of Dance”, “Wisdom in Action”, and "Our Spiritual Truths.

·       Liza and Alexey Semyonov amateur tango dancers. Originally from Russia, the couple met while earning their mathematics degrees and have been married for 30+ years. Recently, they have worked with the famous Argentine dancer and choreographer Carina Losano, who was the official Tango instructor of the Argentine Embassy in Washington, DC and the Cultural Ambassador.

·       Salvatore Gonzalez a native of La Paz, Bolivia, is an international showman of Latin and world music and well-known throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He sings in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, and plays various instruments including piano and guitar. and various instruments.

The 2019 Argentina Festival is an opportunity for the public to experience traditional Argentine culture. By highlighting Tango and other well-known rhythms such as Milonga, and presenting artisans and vendors of food and crafts, the Festival seeks to broaden public understanding and enjoyment of Argentinean culture. Vendors in ExhibitorFest will offer jewelry, soccer shirts, and plastic arts, perfect gifts for Mother’s Day the very next day.

Doors open at 4pm on May 11, 2019 at the Kenmore Middle School Auditorium.  Festivities will conclude at 10:30pm. Part of the proceeds will assist the Mar del Plata School Nr.1 Elementary School “Pascuala Mugaburu” and will be promoting NGOs Hogar Maternal and solidarism with Alianza Latina.  The Argentine Festival 2019 is presented under the auspices of the Embassy of Argentina, and is supported in part by Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development (www.ArlingtonArts.org) and the Arlington Commission for the Arts, Tango Imports, Grill Gauchos and Catalogs of DATA EVENTOS.