On Sunday, May 14, the “Buenos Aires Celebrates Israel” festival was held, the largest Israel event held for the general public in Argentina. An estimated 20,000 people visited the festival, which took place in one of the city’s most popular parks.

The event, whose theme was “Israeli street food,” was organized in cooperation with the Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism Sub-Secretariat of the Buenos Aires  Municipality. Thousands of visitors were exposed to Israeli culture and food for the very first time.

Numerous Israel-oriented cultural performances were offered at the fair, including bands playing klezmer music and the songs of Israeli musical group Balkan Beat Box. There was folk dancing, stand-up comedy for learning Hebrew, cooking classes by well-known influencers and the icing on the cake – Israeli DJ Ramzy al Spinoza, who gave the event an authentic Israeli flavor with Israeli music of all kinds, including a musical tribute to peace.

Promotional films of Israel were screened, with an emphasis on the Start-Up Nation, as well as coexistence. A moment was dedicated to OrCam, the Israeli company that designs breakthrough AI technologies for people who are blind or visually impaired, and its brand ambassador, Argentinian soccer superstar Lionel Messi.

The event was hosted by two local media personalities. Israeli Ambassador Eyal Sela spoke, and remarks were delivered by local municipal politicians.

Twenty-two restaurants participated in the food festival, offering Israeli food at affordable prices. Informational material about Israel was distributed, including hundreds of the ministry’s branded calendars, and the dominant colors in the park were soon blue and white.

Twelve cultural stands were presented from Israeli companies such as Netafim, OrCam and Watergen, as well as from various Jewish organizations, including KKL-JNF, which conducted seed planting, the Jewish Agency, which offered photographs with virtual backgrounds of Israel, Israeli academic institutions, and more.