Overview

• The Día del Amigo traces its origin to dentist Enrique Ernesto Febbraro’s 1969 initiative, when he sent about 1,000 letters to 100 countries to mark friendship on the day Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon.
• In February 1979, the Province of Buenos Aires formalized July 20 as Día Internacional del Amigo under Decree 235/79, making it a celebrated date though not an official holiday.
• In 2025 celebrations continued to thrive despite being a working day, with bars, restaurants, parks and cultural venues hosting picnics, private gatherings and special promotions.
• Lomas de Zamora, Febbraro’s hometown, is officially recognized as Argentina’s ‘capital of friendship,’ honoring his twice-nominated Nobel Peace Prize legacy.
• The United Nations’ International Day of Friendship on July 30 remains a separate global observance promoting inclusion, peace and cross-cultural solidarity.