Saturday, a good day for the annual pilgrimage to the cradle of Tango and the home of Boca Juniors soccer team. La Vuelta de Rocha, as the bow of probably the dirtiest river on earth is called, adjoins iconic Caminito with its multi-coloured corrugated iron conventillos and is spanned by two emblematic iron bridges. 

Cai Guo-Quiang, world renown maestro of grandiose fireworks (see Peking Olympic Games) was scheduled to be the star of the evening, with the largest ever Latin American Fireworks to be performed on said Vuelta de Rocha. The theme - what else in La Boca - La Vida es una Milonga, meaning about 80 minutes of unceasing explosions to the sound of live tango orchestras, combined with performances of 'campeones de tango' and an open air 'dance in the street' milonga. Cloudless day, summer heat, and the usual unique odor of La Richuela sweating toxic wafts of fumes onto the sidewalks beside the river...

Ponte Viejo (Old Bridge) and Puento Nuevo (red in background) The old bridge serves mostly as a popular background for thousands of 'selfies' today, whereas the red one carries most of the traffic across the river.

Left over from times past, when pedestrians found it more comfortable to cross the river by hired row boat, instead of climbing dozens of stairs to the raised bridge level (up high to allow ship traffic) cross over and descend the same number of steps on the opposite side. There is still a small dock on either side of the river under the old bridge, but today, the only remaining rowboat sat idle on the putrid mud, albeit it apparently still has a lively business during weekdays.

La Boca (the river mouth) commemorates its maritime history in many somewhat decrepit freezes, murals, museums as well as adding contemporary 'art' of graffiti' which reflects more of present day daily life. 

Mural of La Vuelta de Riocha underneath a weather beaten balcony...

Several ten thousand square feet of floating plywood platform form the base for thousands of pipes and containers, all aligned for the Grand Spectacle tonight.

On Shore, hundreds and hundreds of Johnny on the Spot cubicles and hundreds of orange clad security personal getting ready for 'crowd control'. The sheer level of these preparations should have triggered my brain for what was to come. But so far, Boca had no more than the usual crowd of tourists, enjoying a bit of local colour - souvenirs, photos with tango dancers, over priced cervezas in open air restaurants and bars (with 'shows'), large plaster mannequins looking like guapos and tangueros perched from upper level balconies, long rows of artesan stands loaded with tango paintings etc etc etc....

Sometimes one wonders, why the Riachuelo needs a bridge at all, it is so polluted, one could literally without invoking divine powers 'walk on water' or what goes for it right here...even gulls don't hang around here.

19:00 start? Not quite, as it is still bright daylight.....by 21:00 the sun should have set...

Streets still so empty - but already restricted to traffic - that dogs may safely sleep right in the middle of the cobble stone pavement

Another tango reminder, eternalized on a ware house wall

The scene of the event...Fireworks should best be seen along the shore promenade of the small - really small - bent in the River. One street inland - forget it.

Still peaceful around Caminito. Note burnt out corrugated iron wall of a 'conventillo' historic housing complex. A series of unexplained 'incendios' has been happening in La Boca. Thing burn down mysteriously....only to make room for yet another little backstreet souvenir mall.

Just like this one...above the souvenir stalls, a line up of copies of famous painter Martin, who eternalized Boca port scenes in a dramatic and impact-full manner.

So empty, one can play ping pong between the two plaster horses fronting a 'campo' souvenir store.

Not only tango, no, Chacarera and Zamba entertain patrons of street side bars and pubs.

Around sixish.....the crowd of spectators thickens somewhat.

I have garnered half a chair in the only restaurant which faces the 'grand stage', or at least the sky above it. I shared the coveted seat with an Argentine lady named Silvia. The spot appeared initially 'save ground' in terms of not being crammed in by a sea of bodies, who arrived with a force of a tsunami, as a light enclosure separated the small restaurant space from the rest of the street....

A little later, what would be called 'standing room only' between chairs and tables had filled to capacity with eager onlookers - kids, dogs, babes in arms, wheelchairs, bicycles, and a 'muchedumbre' of humanity....

 Shortly after that, things got a little more  'crowded' indeed. No way of seeing anything that was happening on - for me - invisible stage, where tango dancers performed pre-fireworks shows. No chance of street dancing, as there was hardly room to stand. My safe harbour within the restaurant enclosure seemed more like a trap to be trampled by the multitudes.
About 15 minutes before the first firecracker went of, I decided to head for 'open' ground - GOOD LUCK. Along the entire river bend, people were squished together: shore wall to buildings, including road access to the river bend, in a way that made any movement almost impossible and breathing a matter of luck.
Three blocks, normally walked in about ten minutes, took me almost an hour - and only because I glued myself to the back of a huge man who seemed to have the same idea of escape as I had, and who slowly plowed through the 'montones' of bodies like a slow but unstoppable tank.
Reaching the end of the bend, where fireworks view would be almost nil, there was no easing of the crowd.
The old bridge, as well as the sides of the new bridge were filled to capacity with onlookers. Rooftops of abandoned buildings, cracked balconies and windows which haven't seen glass in decades were stuffed with people.
Well, no sense giving up now. For another hour or so I 'swam against the stream' of a human flood that did not let up until almost the edge of San Telmo, a dozen blocks or so away.
From afar, I heard the first explosions, turned around and perceived light in the sky over La Boca. I marveled at the stream of people, eagerly heading into this maelstroem further in - loaded with babes in arms, grand parents with walkers....how would they survive if they ever get close?
I walked another half hour to get far enough away from the Maddening Crowd, to encounter a bus - or a taxi, which until then proved to be the impossible dream: all roads plugged up with pedestrians, and I mean plugged up, who took up the entire street and all traffic lanes for MILES.

I don't know where these tow people stood, maybr atop one of the television trucks.....

Well, I always wondered if one could walk from La Boca to SanTelmo, given that the area is not exactly 'safe ground' and the distance is considerable. Well, I can say it is possible, and I did it....until I finally encountered a bus home at Calle Estados Unidos, well into San Telmo.

A Buenos Aires Experience not to be missed! Videos of the Fireworks are on YouTube - just look up
Fuegos Artificiales La Boca...although most of the videos are of Fireworks at La Boca soccer games...which go off whether or not Boca Juniors win.
Official count of spectators along the shore - 200.000 minimum!