(Photo credit and copyright Rebecca Travaglia)

When the weather starts warming up and the trees start to grow their lush canopy, every

evening of the week brings the strains of the bandoneón floating through Barracas de Belgrano.

This beautiful park is located in the northern part of the city and was designed by the famous

French Argentine landscape architect Carlos Thays. An old bandstand nestled amongst the

sheltering trees on the corner of the cobblestoned roads 11 de Septiembre and Echeverría, is

the location of Milonga de La Glorieta.

This milonga is the only regular ´al fresco´ milonga in Buenos Aires which runs all year round.

During the winter months, the milonga is held on weekends, with dancers braving the bracing

cold weather to dance, often in coats. From November, unless a summer thunderstorm brings

torrential rain, a milonga is held every night of the week. It is a beautiful old outdoor venue

where milongueros and locals meet, share mate and laughter in an informal and friendly

environment.

Free from the constraints of seated milongas, milongueros gather around the

sides of the rotunda and take advantage of each tanda. The ambience is relaxed as evening

falls and the street lights cast a gentle glow and the smooth tiled floor fills with dancers. While

the floor has the usual colourful tango stilettos, many women choose to dance in their

street shoes, having decided on a whim to join the milonga. As the evenings become warmer

with the onset of summer, it is not unusual to see women dancing in sandals and Havaianas. 

There is no dress code here and jeans and sneakers are more common than flowing dresses.

While there are a team of regular dancers who go, this milonga often has a large turn over of

tourists and visitors to the city who come to dance. It's a good introduction milonga if you're out

and about showing the city to someone who needs a quick injection of tango (not uncommon with 

those who are officially addicted to tango) and it is refreshing to enjoy such an informal gathering of

tango dancers.

Each milonga usually begins with a one hour open class at 6.30pm. The milonga runs until

10pm or 10.30pm (depending on the day). There is no set fee and a donation hat is passed

around during the later part of the evening. The milonga is held because of the owner´s love

of tango and his wish for everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy and dance outside in this

wonderful city. Visitors with cameras are welcome and encouraged to stay and watch the

dancers.  For those visitors to the city who wish to experience a little bit of tango barrio-style,

pack up a picnic and head down to the park to sit on the grass and watch the magic of tango

under the evening sky.

Getting there:

Located in Belgrano and a block away from Buenos Aires´ Barrio Chino, there are multiple

options for public transport to Barrancas de Belgrano.

Subte Linea D (Subway) runs through Belgrano. Take the subte to station Juramento. From

here, walk back one block until Echeverría and continue down this road until you reach the

Barrancas de Belgrano park. La Glorieta is on the right as you turn the corner. The subte

usually closes between 10.30pm and 11pm so if you plan on staying until the end of the

milonga, you may need to take a taxi to return to the city.

Taxis are readily available on Avenida Virrey Vertiz (the main avenue below the park).

The park is also on the following bus (colectivo) lines: 29-42-44-55-60-63-64-114-115-118

The webpage is http://www.glorietadebelgrano.com.ar/glorieta/index.html  but seems to always be constantly under construction.