The traditions, the harvest and the production of wine are reflected annually in Mendoza, in a great artistic event praised internationally. It is a season of popular festivals in all the streets of Mendoza and a time to enjoy with friends and family.
The National Harvest Festival pays tribute to the work of men and women in the fields of Mendoza. The celebration, over time, has become one of the main cultural and tourism attractions of Mendoza.
It employs directly and indirectly thousands of artists, technicians, service providers, merchants and suppliers from other sectors. This one-of- its- kind celebration is a window for the world to look at Mendoza.
Proud of our history of harvests
The National Harvest Festival is the result of different and exciting celebrations, which begin in each neighborhood and each district of the province at the end of each year. Our Festival is a declaration of identity and the reaffirmation of the tenacity of Mendoza’s people. Both tourists and locals praise year after year the magnificence of the Frank Romero Day Greek Theater. The show involves hundreds of artists on stage, vintage choreographies, spectacular costumes, live music and light boxes. The latter, a resource that emerged from this particular celebration, is a cultural heritage recognized worldwide. Mendoza lives its Harvest Festival proudly.
The first celebration of the Harvest took place on April 18, 1936 and over time it grew in production, audience and importance, until it became a festival with international projection.
Summer in Mendoza is “Harvest Season”
The festivities begin at the end of December and last until the first weekend of March, with the Central Event, a show that takes place in the open-air Greek theater Frank Romero Day, nestled in the foothills of the Andes. More than 1000 artists participate on stage and the show culminates with the election of the National Harvest Queen who represents the province for one year. There are two repetitions of the event with the closing of great musical artists instead of the election of the Queen.
The main events:
Departmental Harvests Celebrations: Throughout the summer, each department of the province holds its grape harvest festival and elects the queen who will represent the area and compete for the national crown.
Federal Week: Music and dance shows from across the provincial territory concentrated in a single fairground with food and craft stands.
Blessing of the Fruits: it takes place on the Sunday prior to the Main Celebration. In this event, the Governor of Mendoza kick starts the Grape Harvest Festivities by hitting a plowshare. The harvest is then entrusted to the Virgin that protects the vineyards, the Virgen de la Carrodilla.
Vía Blanca and Carrousel: these are floats parades that take place on Friday night and Saturday morning (March 1st and 2nd, 2024). They count also with the participation of folk groups and representations of immigrant communities in Mendoza.
Central Celebration (March 2nd, 2024): It is a stunning show of light, color, music and dances that recounts the evolution of viticulture in Mendoza in a symbolic manner. At the end of the show there is a voting process to crown the National Harvest Queen. Since a couple of years, there are 2 repetitions of the show on the following Sunday and Monday. During these repetitions, the Queen’s election is replaced by musical shows.
Text and Photo Credits: Ministry of Culture and Tourism