Buenos Aires is a 24-hour city with as much to offer as New York or London. Argentines in general and porteños in particular are night people—discos and dance clubs, for instance, may not even open until 1 a.m. or so, and they stay open until dawn. Not everything takes place at those hours, though, and since a deadly fire in late 2004 there are more municipal restrictions on live music venues and hours.

Every Buenos Aires daily has thorough event listings, especially in end-of-the-week supplements. For tickets to events at many major venues, contact Ticketek (tel. 011/5237-7200, www.ticketek.com.ar). The company adds a US$1 service charge to most tickets. It has outlets in the Microcentro (Esmeralda 33; Viamonte 560, Locales 6 and 8), in Barrio Norte at Lee-Chi (Rodríguez Peña 1034); in San Telmo at La Trastienda (Balcarce 460); in Recoleta at the Hard Rock Café (Pueyrredón 2501), and at Shopping Alto Palermo] (Arenales 3360).

For discount tickets to tango shows, cinemas, and live theater, try carteleras such as Cartelera Espectáculos (Lavalle 742, tel. 011/4322-1559); Cartelera Baires (Avenida Corrientes 1382, Local 24, tel. 4372-5058, www.cartelerabaires.com); and Cartelera Vea Más (Avenida Corrientes 1660, tel. 011/6320-5319, Local 2).