On Friday evening, the Via Blanca de las Reinas takes place. It is a parade that presents the queen from each of the districts. Just as in Mardi Gras, goodies are thrown from the floats to eager spectators, numbering over 200,000. Instead of beads, you get plums, apples, bunches of grapes and even cantaloupes.
On Saturday morning, the Carrusel de Vendimia occurs. This is a longer parade featuring the same floats as the night before with additional participants such as gauchos and members of each district in their traditional dress.
The main event is held on Saturday night at the Frank Romero Day Greek Theatre. This is a large outdoor amphitheater which seats over 20,000. The festivities include a spectacular song, dance and light show with over 1,000 actors and dancers. At the end, the queen of the festival is crowned.
You can purchase the tickets in person if you are in Mendoza on the day when the tickets go on sale, usually weeks before the main event. Otherwise, you can purchase an excursion from a travel agency that includes the ticket to the show and transportation to the theatre. It's well worth the extra costs because it would be a logistical nightmare to get out to the theatre.
We purchased tickets for the malbec section and were seated 4 rows from the front. Our tickets cost 300 pesos each, including transportation to and from the theatre.
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