Argentina's wine capital celebrates the grape harvest across ten days every March: parades, vineyard parties, a torchlit procession, and the national Harvest Queen coronation at the Frank Romero Day Amphitheatre.
Vendimia is the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia — Argentina's national harvest festival, held in Mendoza every year since 1936. The programme runs for approximately ten days and culminates in the Via Blanca (torchlit procession) on the Friday evening and the Acto Central on the Saturday night at the Frank Romero Day Amphitheatre, which holds 22,000 people. The Saturday ceremony includes the coronation of the Harvest Queen, theatrical performances, fireworks, and live music. Tickets for the amphitheatre are cheap by any standard: ARS 5,000–15,000 (£4–£12 at 2025 exchange rates), and the scale of the production does not match the price. The Via Blanca procession on the Friday passes through the city centre and is free to watch from the streets.
The surrounding programme is the part most travellers underutilise. Each municipality of greater Mendoza holds its own smaller harvest festival in the weeks before the main event: Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, and San Rafael all run their own celebrations with wine tasting, folk music, and dancing. The bodegas (wineries) that ring the city — Zuccardi, Achaval Ferrer, Luigi Bosca, and dozens of others — hold harvest events through February and March that are open to visitors, typically for ARS 3,000–8,000 (£2.50–£6.50). Mendoza city itself has a bar and restaurant strip on Aristides Villanueva Avenue that runs late on festival nights, and the central plaza area fills with street stalls selling Malbec by the glass for ARS 500–1,000 (£0.40–£0.80).
Party hostels within reach of 's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
The torchlit procession (Via Blanca) runs through the city centre on the Friday evening of the main festival weekend, starting at dusk. Crowds line the main avenues; the atmosphere is relaxed and family-oriented until the evening, when the bar scene on Aristides Villanueva takes over. Street stalls around Plaza Independencia sell wine, empanadas, and asado (grilled meat). Budget ARS 3,000–5,000 (£2.50–£4) for a full evening of food and drink on the street.
The Acto Central at the Frank Romero Day Amphitheatre starts at 10pm on the Saturday. Arrive by 9pm to find your seat. Tickets bought in advance from the Mendoza provincial tourism office or authorised resellers are significantly cheaper than street prices on the night. Before the evening: take a bike or taxi to one of the Maipú bodegas — Los Toneles, Familia Zuccardi, or Cavas Wine Lodge are all within 15–25 kilometres of the city. Tastings cost ARS 2,000–6,000 (£1.60–£5).
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
