Fiestas de Quito

What it is

The Fiestas de Quito are the annual celebrations of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. They mark the founding of the city and last for a single week. That week begins at the end of November and ends on 6 December. The name is Spanish, and it translates simply as the Quito celebrations. The fiestas are a city-wide occasion rather than a family custom. Public events, parades and parties fill the days and nights, and people of all ages take part. Schools, neighbourhood groups and the city authorities all add something to the programme, so the week holds both large official moments and small local ones.

How the week runs

A queen is picked for the year and leads the parades. She is called the Reina de Quito, the queen of Quito. School marching bands also walk the parade route, and there are processions through the streets. In the evening, block parties get going, with live bands playing in the open air. Larger concerts and theatrical performances are staged as well. Over in the neighbourhoods, residents keep their own smaller traditions, and several of them honour a favourite saint with a procession of their own. The city carries on this way until the final day, 6 December.

Chivas and Plaza Foch

Two things give the fiestas a particular character. The first is the chiva: an open-sided bus, often with a band playing on board, that carries people around the city during the celebrations. Riding one is a way of watching the party from the street and of moving between events. The second is Plaza Foch, a broad square that becomes a meeting point. Around it are restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels and shops, and special events are held there during the week. Both the buses and the square show how the fiestas reach well beyond any single stage or parade route.

Neighbourhood saint days

Alongside the civic programme, many neighbourhoods hold celebrations of their own. Some honour a favourite saint with a procession, a walk through the streets. Others simply throw a block party, closing a stretch of road for music and dancing. Live bands are common at these gatherings, and the mood is informal. This local layer is what makes the fiestas feel close to home for residents: the big events in the centre matter, and so does the party on your own street. In most cases these neighbourhood events run at the same time as the main city-wide week.

How Fiestas de Quito is kept

The week opens at the end of November and closes on 6 December. A Reina de Quito, the queen of the festivities, is chosen and appears at the head of the parades. School marching bands take part in those parades. Away from the main route, neighbourhood groups hold processions for a chosen saint and organise block parties with live bands. People move between events on foot or ride a chiva, an open bus with a band aboard. Gatherings continue in the squares, where restaurants, bars and clubs stay busy.

When and where

The fiestas last a week, beginning in the final days of November and finishing on 6 December, the date tied to the founding of Quito. The city sets this week aside every year.

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is where the fiestas happen. The parades and public events spread through the city centre and its squares. Neighbourhoods across the city join in with their own saint days and street parties. Plaza Foch, with its open space and nearby bars and restaurants, draws crowds during the week.

What Fiestas de Quito means

For people in Quito, this week is a birthday party for the city itself. It is a moment to feel part of a place, not only of a family or a street. Choosing a queen, marching in a school band and holding a street party for a neighbourhood saint all give residents a share in the celebration. Because official events and local parties run side by side, the fiestas belong to the whole city and to each small corner of it at once.

Questions people ask about Fiestas de Quito

See also

Inti RaymiA major Andean festival honoring the sun god Inti and marking the winter solstice in Cusco.Mama NegraA twice-yearly festival in Latacunga blending Andean, Spanish and African heritageIntiThe Inca sun deity, honoured with temples, offerings and the June festival Inti RaymiAyniGiving and receiving as a duty, kept by Andean communities

Good reading and sources

• Fiestas de Quito on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.