Ecuador's Holidays and Festivals — A Complete Guide to What's Celebrated, What Closes, and What You Need to Know

Ecuador has more holidays than you're probably used to, and it celebrates them with more intensity than almost anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. This isn't polite flag-waving and department store sales. Ecuadorian holidays involve setting things on fire, soaking strangers with water, blocking traffic in costume, and shutting down entire cities for multi-day parties.

If you've just moved here, this guide will prevent you from being blindsided. If you've been here a while, it'll help you plan around the closures — because nothing derails a week like discovering the bank is closed for a holiday you didn't know existed.

The Official Holiday Calendar

Ecuador has 11 national holidays (feriados nacionales) plus several regional holidays that only apply to specific cities. Here they are in calendar order:

Date	Holiday	What Closes
January 1	Año Nuevo (New Year's Day)	Everything
February (variable)	Carnaval (Mon–Tue before Ash Wednesday)	Banks, government, many businesses
March/April (variable)	Viernes Santo (Good Friday)	Banks, government, most businesses
May 1	Día del Trabajo (Labor Day)	Banks, government, many businesses
May 24	Batalla de Pichincha	Banks, government
July 24	Natalicio de Simón Bolívar	Banks, government
August 10	Primer Grito de Independencia (Quito Independence)	Banks, government
October 9	Independencia de Guayaquil	Banks, government (national), everything in Guayaquil
November 2	Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead)	Banks, government, many businesses
November 3	Independencia de Cuenca	Everything in Cuenca, banks/gov nationally
December 25	Navidad (Christmas)	Everything

The Puente System

Here's the critical thing expats don't learn until it hits them: if a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the government often moves the day off to Monday, creating a puente (bridge) — a three-day weekend. If it falls on Thursday, Friday becomes an unofficial day off. Ecuador loves long weekends, and the government formally decrees which holidays move each year (published by the Ministerio de Trabajo, usually in December for the following year).

This matters because during puentes, Cuenca empties as people head to the coast. Hotel prices in beach towns double. Bus tickets sell out. If you want to travel during a puente, book transportation and accommodation at least two weeks ahead.

Conversely, if you're happy staying home, puentes are wonderful. Your city gets quiet, traffic disappears, and life slows down.

The Big Celebrations — What You Need to Know

Carnaval (February/March)

What it is: The Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (Lent). Officially two days off. Unofficially, the whole week is affected.

What actually happens: Water fights. Everywhere. All the time. Nobody is safe.

Ecuadorian Carnival is not Mardi Gras. It's a nationwide water war. Children, teenagers, and plenty of adults carry water balloons, water guns, and buckets. They throw them at each other, at passing cars, and absolutely at unsuspecting gringos. In some areas, people add flour, eggs, and carioca (spray foam) to the mix.

Practical advice:

• Do not carry electronics in your pockets. Your phone will get soaked.
• Wear clothes you don't care about. White shirts are targets.
• Don't get angry. Getting hit with water is part of the deal. Reacting badly makes you a bigger target.
• Driving during Carnival: People throw water at cars. Close your windows. Some people throw water from highway overpasses.
• If you hate it: Many expats leave town. The coast is the worst for water fights. Cuenca is moderate. Small towns are mild. Or just stay home — nobody will throw water at you inside your apartment.
• If you love it: Buy a bucket, fill it up, and join in. Locals respect anyone who plays along with a good attitude.

Carnival is also a huge travel weekend. The coast, Baños, and Vilcabamba fill up. Book transportation and hotels two weeks in advance minimum.

Semana Santa (March/April — Holy Week)

What it is: The week before Easter, with Thursday (Jueves Santo), Friday (Viernes Santo), and Saturday being the most significant days.

What actually happens: Religious processions, fasting, and a lot of closed businesses. This is a devoutly Catholic country, and Holy Week is taken seriously, especially in the highlands.

Quito's procession: The Procesión de Jesús del Gran Poder on Good Friday is the largest in Ecuador. It starts from the Iglesia de San Francisco in Centro Histórico and winds through the old city. Thousands of penitents in purple robes, some carrying wooden crosses, some walking barefoot. It's solemn, massive, and deeply moving regardless of your beliefs. If you're in Quito, go watch — just arrive early for a viewing spot.

Cuenca: Multiple processions through Centro Histórico on Thursday and Friday. The city gets very quiet. Most restaurants close Thursday night through Sunday.

Practical impacts: Banks close Thursday and Friday. Many restaurants close. Supermarkets may have reduced hours. The coast gets absolutely packed — Salinas, Montañita, Atacames, and Same Beach become wall-to-wall Ecuadorian families on vacation. If you want a beach weekend during Semana Santa, you need to book a month ahead or accept standing-room-only.

Food tradition: Fanesca — a rich, heavy soup made with 12 types of grains and beans (representing the 12 apostles), salt cod, and milk. It's only made during Holy Week. Every restaurant and family has their own recipe. Try it at least once — it's an institution, even if it's heavier than anything you'd normally eat.

Año Viejo — New Year's Eve

This is the holiday that blows expats' minds. Nothing in North America or Europe prepares you for Ecuadorian New Year's Eve.

The Monigotes: Starting in mid-December, you'll see papier-mâché and stuffed-cloth effigies appearing on sidewalks, in front of businesses, and in neighborhood plazas throughout the country. These are monigotes — sometimes called años viejos (old years). They represent the year that's ending, and they take the form of political figures, pop culture characters, superheroes, villains, or anything else. Some are crude, some are incredibly elaborate.

At midnight on December 31, they burn them all. Every neighborhood, every street corner, every family. Thousands of bonfires simultaneously. The idea is that you're burning away the bad things from the old year. The smoke is thick, the heat is real, and the spectacle is unlike anything you've seen.

The Viudas: Men — sometimes women, sometimes teenagers — dress as viudas (widows) in exaggerated drag, complete with wigs, makeup, dresses, and fake crying. They stand in the streets and block traffic, demanding coins from drivers and pedestrians as "mourning money" for the dying year. This happens all day on December 31. It's hilarious, it's irreverent, and it's everywhere.

Practical concerns:

• Air quality: The smoke from burning monigotes is intense. If you have respiratory issues, stay indoors with windows closed from about 11:30 PM to 1:00 AM.
• Fireworks: Unregulated, abundant, and set off at ground level. Ecuador is not a country where fireworks are reserved for professionals. People light them in the street in front of their houses.
• Fire risk: Every year, fires spread from monigotes to nearby structures. Be aware of your surroundings. Don't park next to a monigote.
• Taxi availability: Impossible from about 11 PM to 2 AM. Plan to walk, drive, or stay put.

Expat tip: Find a rooftop. Whether it's your apartment building, a friend's house, or a hotel bar, being elevated at midnight in any Ecuadorian city is breathtaking. You'll see fires and fireworks from horizon to horizon.

Día de los Difuntos (November 2 — Day of the Dead)

What it is: All Souls' Day, a day to honor deceased family members. A national holiday.

What actually happens: Families visit cemeteries, clean and decorate graves, leave flowers (especially purple and white chrysanthemums), and spend time together. The mood is more tender than mournful — families bring food, sit with their ancestors, and talk.

The food tradition: Colada morada with guaguas de pan. Colada morada is a thick, warm, purple-black drink made from black corn flour, blueberries, blackberries, naranjilla, pineapple, babaco, and spices (cinnamon, clove, allspice). It's served warm with guaguas de pan — sweet bread shaped like swaddled babies, often stuffed with dulce de leche, chocolate, or guava paste.

Every bakery, restaurant, and grandma in the country makes colada morada during the last week of October and first days of November. At supermarkets like Supermaxi and Coral, you'll find pre-made versions. They're fine. But the real stuff is homemade or from a traditional bakery — ask your Ecuadorian friends where theirs comes from.

Visiting cemeteries: If you're invited by an Ecuadorian friend to join their family cemetery visit, go. It's an honor and a beautiful experience. Bring flowers. Be respectful but not somber — it's a celebration of memory, not a funeral.

Cuenca-Specific Celebrations

Since Cuenca is the largest expat hub, these deserve special attention:

Independencia de Cuenca (November 3): The day after Día de los Difuntos, making it a natural two-day holiday. Cuenca goes all out — parades along Avenida Solano, concerts in Parque Calderón, fireworks, street food vendors everywhere. Government offices close. Many private businesses close. November 2–3 is effectively a four-day weekend when combined with the preceding weekend.

Pase del Niño Viajero (December 24): This is Cuenca's biggest annual event, and it's something you need to see at least once. It's a massive Christmas parade — the largest in Ecuador — celebrating the baby Jesus. Thousands of participants: children in biblical costumes, indigenous communities in traditional dress, horses, llamas, decorated cars, floats, and brass bands. The parade route runs through Centro Histórico and takes 6–8 hours to pass a single point.

If you're in Cuenca on December 24, you have two options: embrace it or leave early in the morning. The streets are shut down, traffic is impossible, and the crowds are thick. Find a balcony along Calle Bolívar or Calle Simón Bolívar, bring snacks and drinks, and settle in.

Corpus Christi (June, variable date): A week of celebrations centered around Parque Calderón. The highlight is the castillos — towering wooden structures rigged with fireworks that are lit at night in the park while crowds gather to watch (and dodge sparks). Street vendors sell traditional sweets: dulces de corpus — small, brightly colored confections made from sugar, nuts, and fruits. Buy a mixed bag from any vendor for $2–3.

Fiestas de Quito (December 1–6)

If you're in Quito in early December, brace yourself. The entire city celebrates its founding with six days of concerts, parades, bull runs (toros populares in some neighborhoods — not in an arena but literally in the streets), and chivas — open-air party buses that cruise through the city blasting music while passengers dance and drink.

Chivas are the signature experience. You can book one for a group ($10–20 per person through companies like Chiva Party Quito) or just watch them roll by. They're loud, joyful chaos.

Practical note: Productivity in Quito drops to near zero during Fiestas. Meetings get cancelled. Projects stall. If you need government paperwork done, do it before December 1 or wait until January.

Inti Raymi (June 21)

What it is: The indigenous festival of the sun, celebrating the summer solstice and the harvest. Part of the Kichwa (Quechua) tradition that predates Spanish colonization by centuries.

Where to experience it: Otavalo and Cotacachi in Imbabura province are the epicenters. Communities perform ritual dances, music with traditional instruments (rondadores, bombos, charangos), ceremonial baths in sacred waterfalls, and communal feasts. In Cotacachi, groups from different communities "take" the central plaza in a symbolic show of strength involving dancing, music, and sometimes real physical confrontation.

Getting there: Otavalo is about 2 hours north of Quito by bus ($2.50 from Terminal Carcelén) or car. Stay overnight — the celebrations happen over several days, and the energy at night is extraordinary. Hotels in Otavalo book up fast for Inti Raymi — reserve at least two weeks ahead.

What Actually Closes on Holidays

This is the practical information you need:

Always closed on all national holidays:

• Banks (all of them, no exceptions)
• Government offices (SRI, Registro Civil, immigration, municipalities)
• Public schools

Usually closed:

• Private businesses follow their own rules. Malls typically stay open with reduced hours. Supermaxi and Coral usually open but may close early.
• Pharmacies rotate — Fybeca, Pharmacys, and Cruz Azul pharmacies have rotating holiday schedules posted on their doors. At least one in every neighborhood will be open.

Always open:

• Hospitals and emergency rooms
• Gas stations
• Some restaurants (especially in tourist areas)
• Uber and taxi service (though with surge pricing)

The bank issue: If a holiday falls near a weekend, you could be looking at 3–4 days without bank access. ATMs remain functional but can run out of cash in smaller towns during puentes. Keep cash on hand before any holiday weekend.

Planning Your Year Around Holidays

If you're new to Ecuador, here's the cheat sheet:

• February: Carnival (plan travel or hunker down)
• March/April: Semana Santa (try fanesca, avoid beach trips unless booked early)
• May: Two holidays close together (Labor Day and Battle of Pichincha)
• June: Inti Raymi (go to Otavalo), Corpus Christi in Cuenca
• July: Bolívar Day (low-key)
• August: Quito Independence (bigger in Quito, quiet elsewhere)
• October: Guayaquil Independence (big in Guayaquil, quiet elsewhere)
• November 2–3: Day of the Dead + Cuenca Independence (beautiful, don't miss colada morada)
• December: Fiestas de Quito (1–6), Pase del Niño in Cuenca (24), Christmas (25), Año Viejo (31)

The golden rule: If you need to get anything done at a government office or bank, check the holiday calendar at the start of each month. Ecuador's holidays aren't always on fixed dates (Carnival and Easter float, and the government sometimes moves dates for puentes). The Ministerio de Trabajo publishes the official calendar each December — search "feriados Ecuador [year]" and you'll find it immediately.

One more thing: Ecuadorians don't just celebrate holidays. They celebrate with a warmth and communal spirit that makes even a cynical gringo stop and appreciate what's happening. These aren't corporate events. They're neighborhood traditions, family rituals, and citywide parties that have been running for generations. Participate. Eat the fanesca. Watch the monigotes burn. Get hit with a water balloon and laugh about it. It's one of the best parts of living here.