Festivals in Ecuador offer a great chance to get insight into local culture and traditions in one of South America’s most interesting countries. Some date back to Spanish Colonial era, some to the Inca period, and at least one probably goes back to simpler agrarian times before the indigenous people dealt with invaders from near and far. From its religious celebrations to its diverse music and art, Ecuador offers a wide variety of festivals to enjoy.
Ecuador’s traditional festivals are celebrated in all its provinces, from the coast to the highlands, and attract thousands of people from all over the world, with something running nearly every month of the year. Whether you’re looking for a lively Carnival celebration or a peaceful procession, Ecuador probably has a festival that’s a good match and we’ve gathered the most popular picks.
La Diablada de Píllaro
La Diablada de Pillaro is an annual festival held the first week in January in Píllaro, a small town located in the Tungurahua Province in Ecuador. The festival is a traditional dance party known as the Diablada, where large amounts of dancers perform choreography to the rhythm of traditional Ecuadorian music.
The dancers represent the devils, the angels, and the animals that intervene in a fight between good and evil. La Diablada is celebrated every first week of January and is considered a traditional sample of the culture and identity of Píllaro. During the festival, the city is dressed in its best colors and people come together to share food, drink, and dance.
The Ecuador Carnival Festival
The Ecuador Carnival Festival, known as the Ecuadorian Mardi Gras, is held every year in the city of Ambato, in the Central Highlands region of the country. It is the largest celebration of its type in Ecuador, and one of the biggest in South America.
The festivities last for two weeks and begin every year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday in February and running into March. During this time, the city is alive with vibrant music, juegos de agua (or games with water balloons), colorful parades, and lively dancing.
The festivities begin with a grand parade, featuring floats, bands, and dancers. The parade is followed by a festive meal, where the participants feast on traditional Ecuadorian foods. A large carnival market is set up in the city center, where vendors sell traditional Ecuadorian crafts and souvenirs.
A special ceremony is also held in Ambato’s main square. During the ceremony, a statue of the Virgin Mary is crowned, and a fireworks display is set off. On the day of Ash Wednesday in the Catholic religion calendar, the festivities reach their peak with a grand procession through the town, including carnival bands, colorful floats, and dancers.
Semana Santa
In Ecuador, Semana Santa, or “Holy Week” is celebrated in March or April, depending on the exact date of Easter on the calendar, and is a religious celebration that marks the beginning of the Christian Easter. During this week, Ecuadorians honor the Lord Jesus by his death and resurrection.
A week before Easter Sunday, Palm Sunday is celebrated, rosaries and music in place. Arrastre de Caudas, or the Catholic ceremony commemorating Jesus’ crucifixion occurs on Wednesday, Thursday consists of traditional church visits in the historic center, and Good Friday is the primary procession.
During Semana Santa, many Ecuadorian cities celebrate traditional processions with religious images, songs, candles, and rosaries. Many Catholics fast, penitents dress in purple robes, and all attend special masses during this week. Friday is a national holiday and the whole country shuts down for the most part, but many people take off work for at least a week, sometimes two.
There are several distilleries and bakeries that make special products for this time of year. Semana Santa is also a time of rest for Ecuadorians. Many people travel to visit relatives and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Ecuador.
Corpus Christi Festival of Ecuador
Celebrated in June each year, the Corpus Christi festival is in theory a Catholic celebration, but it brings in elements of Andean culture and it’s best known for its focus on fireworks. The best places where you can join the celebrations are Imbabura province, Loja, Pujili, and the expat favorite of Cuenca.
The main day starts out somber, with a morning mass, but then everyone lets loose and it gets loud and colorful. A large parade leads to music performances, dancers, and parties, with the apex being the huge fireworks displays when it gets dark. Watch for the central figure, the Dancer of Pujilí, to find the heart of the action.
Inti Raymi
Inti Raymi (Quechua for “Sun Festival”) is an important celebration in Peru but it’s also one of the festivals in Ecuador that is the most colorful and photogenic. Inti Raymi celebrates the Sun god Inti and the arrival of the winter solstice.
During this festival, taking place in June and July, participants engage in traditional customs and rituals, including dancing, singing, and feasting. It is believed that the sun god Inti brings with him a period of abundance and fertility to the land, and people from all parts of Ecuador come together to celebrate and honor the Sun God.
The Inti Raymi festival of the sun was a major religious ceremony that was held in the Incan Empire to honor their most important deity, so it has long roots. In those days the festival featured a grand procession of priests, nobles, and rulers, who paid homage and also basked in the adoration of the people they ruled over. Times have changed in that regard and there’s one other early aspect you thankfully won’t see in modern Inti Raymi celebrations: sacrifices to appease the burning orb so it will keep rising again.
Yamor Festival
The Yamor Festival is an annual celebration of the equatorial sun that takes place in Ecuador each year. The festival is a three-day event that occurs in September and includes traditional music, dance, cultural events, and crafts. During the day, there are activities and performances, and at night, a large bonfire and fireworks show.
Much like Inti Raymi, the festival celebrates the sun, which is an important part of the culture in Ecuador and other parts of South America. It is a time for people to come together and celebrate the start of the harvest season, always a good time to be in a country where farms and food are still held in high regard.
Throughout the country, the corn festivals of Ecuador are popular events that take place annually in different regions. The festivals are a celebration of the good harvests of the country’s staple food and pay homage to the traditional and cultural values that come with it. The festivals include a variety of activities such as music, dance, parades, and traditional cooking competitions. The festival is an important part of the Ecuadorian culture and has been celebrated for centuries. It is a way for the people to show their appreciation for the country’s agricultural bounty and for the unique traditions and culture that come with it.
There’s a more modern twist to this festival in the city of Otovalo, which started celebrating in their own way in the 1950s. It honors both the Virgin Mary of Monserrate on the Catholic side and the Pacha Mama (a kind of Mother Earth) to give thanks for the fertile land and the crops.
The festival is a time of merriment, with dances, music, traditional drink, and food. It is also a time for reflection and appreciation for the beauty of the Andes and the culture of the Otavalo people.
Mama Negra
By Agencia de Noticias ANDES – FIESTA DE LA MAMA NEGRA, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Festival of La Mama Negra is an annual festival in the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. This Ecuador festival you can experience in September and it is a day of celebration for the city’s patron saint, La Mama Negra. There’s a lot of meaning wrapped up in this one, as you can see from this Wikipedia intro:
Also called La Santísima Tragedia (The Holy Tragedy), it is a celebration in honor of the Virgen de la Merced (Virgin of Mercy), who is said to have stopped an eruption of Cotopaxi volcano in 1742. The festival is also a celebration of the anniversary of the city of Latacunga’s independence.
The festival celebrates the city’s culture and history with parades, dances, and traditional food. During the festival, people dress up in colorful traditional costumes, and there are performances of traditional music and dance.
The festival also includes a procession of the statue of La Mama Negra through the city streets. While this is a local celebration grounded in a specific place, it brings together people from all around Ecuador.
Fiestas de Quito
The Fiestas de Quito in November and December are some of the main celebrations in the city each year and are a way of expressing the culture and tradition of Quito, Ecuador’s biggest city.
This week-long party celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the city of Quito and is a great opportunity for foreign tourists to enjoy Ecuadorian culture with music, dance, and food festivals. There are parades, an election for the Quito Queen, and other fun pastimes. Auxillary events going on at the same time include opera, folk musical performances, theater shows, and even bullfighting.
This is one of the few festivals in Ecuador that you can combine with a trip to the largest city, so it’s a good one to plan around for your trip in or out of the country.
Año Viejo
The Año Viejo (Old Year) festival is the traditional way of celebrating New Year’s Eve in Ecuador. The celebration takes place on December 31st, the eve of the New Year, and involves burning a man-sized effigy of the “Ano Viejo”, or Old Year, as a way of marking the end of the year and symbolically leaving the troubles of the past year behind.
The effigy is usually made of dried grass, paper, and other combustible materials and is filled with trinkets and small fireworks. The effigy is then placed in the center of the town or village and set alight as the clock strikes midnight. Everyone joins in by lighting fireworks, playing music, and dancing.
This article on the best festivals in Ecuador was written by contributing editor Alina Jade Leffel, with additional editing by Timothy Scott.
