Buenos Aires' annual Night of the Bookstores

The sun goes down and the many bookstores of Avenida Corrientes spill out into the street for the annual Noche de las Librerías. Buenos Aires is the city with most bookshops per capita (25 for every 100,000 inhabitants according to the World Cities Culture Forum if you want the statistics!) and for one night books take over one of the city's most famous streets right through to the early hours, as the avenue is closed to traffic and given over to literature and readers avidly searching for rare editions and new releases.

As well as lots and lots of books, you'll come across live music, talks, presentations, workshops, recitals, kids' activities and cosplay competitions. or attend one of the workshops or presentations.

Tips for choosing books

• Take your time. The night is long and you have all the time to browse at different stores.
• Read the back and inside covers and part of the introduction. The cover might look nice, but it's what inside that counts.
• Ask the staff.
• Classics are always a good option.
• New or used? When the new editions sell out, you can always opt for a secondhand edition.
• Surprise yourself. Explore the stores and find new things.

2019 edition

This year, there are several special guests, including Lol Tolhurst, former drummer with The Cure, who will talk about his book and his experiences with the band, Eduardo Sacheri, a great Argentine writer who'll take part in an open talk with the public, plus Facundo Manes in dialogue with Mateo Niro, while Sergio Marchi and Gustavo Bove will talk about their biographies of two of Argentina's great national rock heroes, Spinetta and Cerati.