What’s On in Latin America: The Week of September 28–October 4, 2026
Latin America · What’s On
Key Facts
- —The vote Brazil holds the first round of its general election on Sunday 4 October: 158,745,463 registered voters choose a president, 27 governors, two-thirds of the Senate and the full Chamber of Deputies, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time. Peru holds regional and municipal elections the same day.
- —The storm Hurricane Polo approaches the west coast of Baja California Sur on Monday 28 September, with a Hurricane Warning in effect from Punta Abreojos to Santa Fe; the US Embassy warns that flights in the region could be impacted.
- —On stage BTS plays Bogotá’s El Campín on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, tickets from COP 300,000 (about US$91); Iron Maiden plays Mexico City on Friday 2; Robbie Williams gives Buenos Aires three nights, Thursday 1, Friday 2 and Sunday 4.
- —What it costs Argentina’s deferred fuel-tax update takes effect on Thursday 1 October, with pump-price pass-through expected; in Brazil, betting-account holders enter the last full week to withdraw balances before the Monday 5 October deadline.
- —The decision Colombia’s central bank announces its rate decision on Wednesday 30 September; the policy rate has stood at 12 per cent since 1 July.
- —What comes next The following week brings BTS to Lima for three nights from 7 October, the Brasil Game Show from 9 October and the opening of Oktoberfest Blumenau on 7 October.
Your Latin America week ahead for 28 September – 4 October 2026 is election week in the region’s largest country. Brazil spends five days in the final stretch of campaigning and votes on Sunday; Peru votes the same day. Off the campaign trail, Hurricane Polo crosses Baja California Sur early in the week, BTS opens two nights in Bogotá, and Colombia’s central bank decides on interest rates.
Here is what is on, drawn from our coverage across the region. Every date is checked against the venue, the official calendar or our own reporting, and local-currency prices carry an approximate US$ conversion at the rates cited below.
Culture and events this week
Bogotá holds the week’s biggest billing. BTS brings the ARIRANG world tour to the Estadio Nemesio Camacho El Campín on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, the South Korean group’s two Colombia dates. Official Ticketmaster pricing runs from COP 300,000 (about US$91) in the upper stands to COP 2,953,000 (about US$893) for the VIP soundcheck package. Expect the streets around the stadium to fill early on both nights.
Mexico City gets Iron Maiden on Friday 2 October at the Estadio GNP Seguros, with Anthrax opening, on the Run For Your Lives world tour. On Thursday 1 October the metal pairing of Amorphis and Eshtadur plays the Circo Volador. The week closes with opera: the Compañía Nacional de Ópera stages Tosca at the Palacio de Bellas Artes on Sunday 4 at 5 p.m. In Guadalajara, Alejandro Sanz plays the Coliseo GNP Seguros on Saturday 3; in Monterrey the same night, Eslabón Armado plays the Escenario GNP Seguros.
Buenos Aires says goodbye to Morat: the Colombian band closes its six-night Movistar Arena run on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 September, both at 9 p.m. Robbie Williams then takes the same arena for three nights, Thursday 1, Friday 2 and Sunday 4 October, with tickets from ARS 160,000 (about US$104 at the official rate). The Spanish singer Dyango plays the Teatro Gran Rex on Sunday 4.
Santiago spreads its week across genres. Zayn plays the Movistar Arena on Friday 2 October. The Argentine band Bandalos Chinos plays Club Blondie on Friday 2, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4, with the Sunday night added after the first two sold out. The weekend belongs to Festival MUDA, the memory festival at the Parque Estadio Nacional in Ñuñoa on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4, with some 40 artists including Alex Anwandter and Ana Tijoux; day tickets are CLP 34,500 (about US$36), the two-day pass CLP 55,200 (about US$57), and children up to eight enter free. Also on Saturday 3: Alex Ubago at the Movistar Arena and José Carreras at the Arena Monticello.
In Brazil, the calendar bends around the vote. São Paulo hosts Angra at the Tokio Marine Hall on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, Thiaguinho at the Espaço Unimed on Saturday 3, and the 53rd ABAV Expo, the country’s biggest travel-trade fair, from Wednesday 30 September. Rio de Janeiro gets the saxophonist Joshua Redman at Vivo Rio on Wednesday 30, the samba and MPB veteran João Bosco at Qualistage on Friday 2, and Joelma’s Festival CalypSoul at Qualistage on Saturday 3. Belo Horizonte’s Oktoberfest Beagá gathers 20 Minas Gerais breweries at the Nova Serraria on Saturday 3, with Biquini Cavadão on stage.
Lima has a quiet week by design: the city is bracing for three BTS nights the following week. The in-window date is De La Rose at Costa 21 on Friday 2 October.
On the pitch, the FIFA friendly window puts national teams on the field: Argentina hosts Bolivia in Córdoba on Wednesday 30 September and Burkina Faso at the Monumental in Buenos Aires on Saturday 3 October; Brazil plays Australia in Brisbane on Tuesday 29; Mexico plays Peru in New Jersey the same night.
Politics you will feel on the street
Brazil votes on Sunday 4 October in the first round of the general election. The TSE, the electoral court, counts 158,745,463 registered voters, including 918,876 abroad who vote for president only. On the ballot: the presidency, all 27 state governorships, 54 of the Senate’s 81 seats, the full 513-seat Chamber of Deputies and the state assemblies. Voting runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time nationwide, and the TSE begins releasing results after 5 p.m. If no presidential candidate takes a majority of valid votes, the runoff is Sunday 25 October.
The final week has its own rules. Free campaign airtime on television and radio ends on Thursday 1 October, the night of the last debate, on TV Globo — though the two frontrunners, President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, are both expected to skip it. Street campaigning with loudspeakers and marches is legal until 10 p.m. on Saturday 3 October; on election day itself only individual, silent expression is allowed.
The polls, labeled as polls: Datafolha’s 24 September survey (2,002 interviews, margin of error two points) put Lula at 40 per cent and Flávio Bolsonaro at 36 per cent in the first round, with a runoff simulation at 47 to 45 for Lula. Quaest, published 21 September, had the first round at 37 to 33 and the runoff simulation at 42 to 41 for Bolsonaro — a statistical tie. Lula leads first-round polling; runoff simulations are statistically tied. Both houses publish final rounds before the vote.
Peru votes the same Sunday in regional and municipal elections: ONPE, the electoral authority, counts 26,314,724 registered voters choosing 13,148 regional and municipal authorities. The campaign closes under tight security after the 19 September killing of a regional candidate in Áncash, which police describe as a contract killing; a suspect is detained, and no court has ruled on the motive.
In Colombia, Joaquín Gutiérrez Caballero takes office as president of Ecopetrol, the state oil company, on Monday 28 September. In Argentina, President Milei spends Wednesday 30 September to Friday 2 October in Paris for Argentina Week, an investment summit, traveling with around a dozen provincial governors. In Bolivia, a decree issued on Friday 25 September makes the reorganisation or closure of loss-making state companies a national priority — 67 firms are under review — and unions promise protests, which in Bolivia usually means road blocks around La Paz and El Alto.
Deadlines and money
The week’s rate decision is in Colombia: Banco de la República announces on Wednesday 30 September. The policy rate has stood at 12 per cent since 1 July, and the bank entered its pre-meeting blackout on 24 September; the RT economic calendar carries consensus at an unchanged 12 per cent. As always, the consensus is a forecast, not a fact.
In Argentina, the deferred update of the fuel taxes ICL and IDC takes effect on Thursday 1 October under Decreto 829/2026, concentrating the pending 2024, 2025 and first-half-2026 increases in a single step. Expect pass-through at the pump during the week; YPF’s Súper gasoline already stood around $2,100 a litre in late September (about US$1.36 at the official rate).
In Brazil, anyone with money in a betting account enters the last full week to act. The ban signed on Friday 25 September stopped new bets and deposits immediately; balances can be withdrawn until 11:59 p.m. on Monday 5 October, and sites and apps go dark at midnight into Tuesday 6 October. From 9 October, banks refund remaining balances to the original deposit account.
Exchange rates to plan with, all Friday closes in force over the weekend. In Argentina, the official dollar sold at 1,545 pesos and the informal blue dollar at 1,560. In Brazil, the PTAX reference closed at R$5.1991. In Chile, the dólar observado closed on Friday at 965.71 pesos. In Colombia, the TRM reference rate is 3,306.86 pesos, a weekend fixing valid through Monday 28. In Mexico, the peso traded near 17.69 per dollar in Sunday market-estimate data; in Peru, the sol near 3.40 on the same basis, with SUNAT’s own feed unavailable this weekend.
Heads-ups for travellers and new arrivals
Hurricane Polo in Baja California Sur. As of the US National Hurricane Center’s advisory number 26A, issued Saturday 26 September at 11 p.m. Mountain time, Polo was a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds, about 310 miles (500 km) southwest of Cabo San Lucas, moving northwest. A Hurricane Warning covers the west coast of the peninsula from Punta Abreojos to Santa Fe; the forecast crosses the peninsula Monday night and reaches the Sonora coast by early Tuesday, with 4 to 8 inches of rain and a maximum of 10. The US Embassy warns that flights could be impacted. No airport closures at Los Cabos or La Paz were confirmed as of Sunday 27 September — check with your airline before traveling to the region on Monday or Tuesday.
Ecuador’s curfew ends on Wednesday. The midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew in Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro runs through Wednesday 30 September and then lifts. Quito remains under the broader state-of-emergency decree but was never inside the curfew zone; the capital keeps its normal rhythm throughout.
Election Sunday in Brazil and Peru. Sunday 4 October is a voting day, not a holiday, but it bends daily life: in Brazil, bars and restaurants in many municipalities cannot sell alcohol for part of the day under local rules, and public transport in the big cities often runs free or reinforced. Rallies are over by then — street campaigning stops at 10 p.m. on Saturday.
BTS nights in Bogotá. El Campín sits in a residential zone with limited parking; on Friday and Saturday the TransMilenio stations along Avenida 30 are the practical route, and the area around the stadium fills hours before the gates.
Bolivia road blocks. The state-company closure decree has unions promising mobilisations. If your week includes overland travel around La Paz or El Alto, build in slack and check locally before setting out.
Looking ahead
The following week belongs to Lima and to Brazil’s big fairs. BTS plays three nights at the Estadio San Marcos on 7, 9 and 10 October, with tickets from S/483 (about US$142). The Brasil Game Show runs 9 to 12 October at the Distrito Anhembi in São Paulo, day tickets from R$169 (about US$33). Oktoberfest Blumenau opens its 41st edition on Wednesday 7 October and runs to 25 October, with free entry on six of its days. Iron Maiden’s Latin American leg starts on 5 October in San Salvador and ends the month with Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Santiago.
Further out: the Copa Libertadores semifinals begin 14 and 15 October (Fluminense–Palmeiras, Estudiantes–Flamengo), Brazil’s runoff, if needed, is Sunday 25 October, and Colombia’s visa-transfer deadline for existing holders falls on 31 October.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Background: Brazil Election Results 2026: Live Updates, Vote Count and Runoff Scenarios.
Background: BRICS Just Got Bigger — Who’s In, Who’s Still Out, and Why It Matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Brazil vote, and what is on the ballot?
On Sunday 4 October 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time. The first round covers the presidency, all 27 state governorships, 54 of the Senate’s 81 seats, the full 513-seat Chamber of Deputies and the state assemblies. The TSE counts 158,745,463 registered voters. If no presidential candidate wins a majority of valid votes, the runoff is Sunday 25 October.
Will Hurricane Polo disrupt travel in Mexico this week?
Very likely in Baja California Sur. The US National Hurricane Center’s advisory number 26A, from Saturday 26 September at 11 p.m. Mountain time, put a Hurricane Warning on the peninsula’s west coast from Punta Abreojos to Santa Fe, with the storm approaching on Monday 28 September and crossing toward Sonora by early Tuesday. The US Embassy warns that flights could be impacted; no airport closures at Los Cabos or La Paz were confirmed as of Sunday 27 September. Check with your airline.
What are the biggest concerts this week?
BTS plays Bogotá’s Estadio El Campín on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October, from COP 300,000 (about US$91). Iron Maiden plays Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros on Friday 2 October. Robbie Williams plays Buenos Aires’ Movistar Arena on Thursday 1, Friday 2 and Sunday 4 October, from ARS 160,000 (about US$104). Zayn plays Santiago’s Movistar Arena on Friday 2.
When does Ecuador’s curfew end?
On Wednesday 30 September. The midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew applies only in four coastal provinces — Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro — and lifts after that night. The wider state of emergency continues into November, but Quito was never under the curfew.
What is the deadline for betting accounts in Brazil?
Withdrawals are open until 11:59 p.m. on Monday 5 October 2026. New bets and deposits stopped on 25 September; sites and apps go dark at midnight into Tuesday 6 October; from 9 October, banks refund remaining balances to the original deposit account.
Does anything change at Argentina’s fuel pumps this week?
Yes. The deferred update of the ICL and IDC fuel taxes takes effect on Thursday 1 October under Decreto 829/2026, folding the pending 2024, 2025 and first-half-2026 increases into one step. Pass-through at the pump is expected during the week.
Connected Coverage
- Hurricane Polo: Landfall Monday in Baja California Sur
- Brazil Bans Online Betting: Deposits Stop, Sites Go Dark on 6 October
- Ecopetrol President: Colombia Picks Campaign Chief Gutiérrez From 28 September
- Iron Maiden Buenos Aires Shows Bring 50-Year Tour to Argentina in October
- Bandalos Chinos Santiago Add Third Blondie Night in Chile on 4 October
- Oktoberfest Beagá Puts 20 Brazilian Breweries in Belo Horizonte, 3 October
- Lima Concerts in Peru: Robbie Williams on 23 and 24 September, South Korean Group BTS on 7, 9 and 10 October
- Robbie Williams Lima: 24 September Show Called Off as Peru Venue Is Shut
- Banxico Holds Rates at 6.5% and Splits From the Fed
- Milei Takes Governors to Paris to Trade Deals for an End to Primaries
Sources: The Rio Times reporting, including our standalones on Hurricane Polo, the Brazil betting ban, Ecopetrol, Iron Maiden, Bandalos Chinos, Oktoberfest Beagá, the Lima concerts and Banxico; TSE and ONPE on the 4 October votes; Datafolha and Quaest on the polls, dated as cited; the US National Hurricane Center on Polo (advisory 26A, 26 September, 11 p.m. Mountain time); the US Embassy in Mexico on travel impacts; Ticketmaster, Passline, Sympla and venue listings on concert dates and prices; Banco de la República on the rate calendar; Decreto 829/2026 on Argentina’s fuel taxes; DolarAPI, Banco Central do Brasil, Banco Central de Chile, Colombia’s financial regulator and Sunday market-estimate data on exchange rates. Local-currency figures carry approximate US$ conversions at the rates cited; prices and availability move.
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