You probably have many options to celebrate New Year’s Eve this December 31, among family, outings and dinners. However, the day after eating everything, you will probably feel like getting out of your house, going for a walk, getting distracted and doing something. Find out what’s open on New Year’s Eve in Buenos Aires and what you can do on January 1st in the city.
January 1st: What’s open on this day in Buenos Aires
First and foremost it is a holiday, so all public places such as theaters, parks with free entrance like the Ecoparque or the Rosedal, and cultural centers are closed. The Japanese Garden, in the Bosques de Palermo, is also closed (in fact they open after Epiphany, on January 7).
National museums are closed, MALBA and the Fortabat Foundation are also closed.
If you like the idea of going for a walk and lying in the sun or having a picnic this December 25, you should know that the Ecopark, the Ecological Reserve and the Botanical Garden are not open. But you can still do it in the Bosques de Palermo or the squares of Libertador Avenue, including Plaza Francia.
Private movie theaters such as Cinemark, Hoyts and Cinepolis are open on January 1st but for their screenings from 7pm onwards.
Supermarkets and shopping malls are also closed on January 1st. If it is December 31 and you have pending purchases, calculate that all the big chains will be closed by 9 pm. Closing time is 18hs.
Train, bus and subway services will have a special schedule for these dates. In the AMBA they will operate with reduced frequency, similar to the schedule for holidays and Sundays.
On the other hand, in the Federal Capital, buses and trains will follow the holiday schedule.
Corrientes Avenue is one of the busiest avenues and with more offers to go out to eat, to the movies or to the theater. On January 1st you will find options for everything, but not before noon or even for dinner, since many restaurants offer special dinners for New Year’s Eve and close at dawn.
On Corrientes Avenue you have one of the best ice cream parlors in Buenos Aires, it might be a good idea to go out on January 1st in the late afternoon to discover this and many more.
What can you do on January 1st in Buenos Aires? We recommend you to go out not before noon, walk around open park areas such as Bosques de Palermo and if you want to have lunch, do it in areas where there are many gastronomic options where you will surely find one open. Avenida Corrientes, but also Avenida Caseros and Chacarita.
And two great proposals for January 1st, even if it is a holiday! If after eating everything on December 31 you feel like going out to dance, at the bar La Terraza (Arismendo 2686), you have a New Year’s Eve party on January 1 at 1.30 am and with free admission. And if you feel like going out on the afternoon of January 1st, stop by Arthaus (Bartolome Mitre 434) to see the Mondongo art exhibition, free and with the presence of the artists.
And don’t forget Puerto Madero, strolling near the river, stopping at one of its restaurants or having a drink while you go to one of its parks or walk to the carts of the Costanera is always a good plan. Being a very touristic area, you will easily find open options.