Airport Transfers to Quito
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
Quito's founding anniversary in early December turns the colonial capital into a week of street concerts, chiva parties, and highland bullfighting that runs until 2am every night.
Annual, always 1-6 December, marking the Spanish founding of Quito on 6 December 1534.
Fiestas de Quito mark the anniversary of the city's Spanish founding on 6 December 1534. The week-long celebration concentrates activity in two areas: the historic centre (Centro Histórico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978) and La Mariscal (the modern neighbourhood known to backpackers as Gringolandia). In the historic centre, concerts on Plaza Grande and Plaza San Francisco run nightly from 7pm to midnight. In La Mariscal, the bar and club circuit along Calles Juan León Mera and Foch extends its hours significantly, with most venues staying open until 2-3am.
The chiva is the defining transport of the fiestas: a converted open-sided bus with a sound system and a standing-room upper deck, loaded with passengers drinking aguardiente and dancing through the city's streets. Chiva tours depart from La Mariscal from around 9pm, cover the historic centre and the residential highlands, and run for 2-3 hours. Cost is USD 15-30 per person with drinks included. This is the most distinctly Quiteño way to experience the fiestas and is strongly recommended. The Quito Corrida de Toros (bullfighting season) also runs in December at the Plaza de Toros: a tradition that is culturally significant and contested. Attending or not is a personal decision; tickets cost USD 10-40.
Party hostels within reach of Quito's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
Walk the Centro Histórico from 6pm: Plaza Grande (in front of the Presidential Palace and Metropolitan Cathedral) has the main concert stage; Plaza San Francisco and Plaza de la Independencia also have performances. Free entry to all. Grab a canelazo (hot cinnamon spirit drink, USD 1-2 at street stalls) and join the crowd. By 9pm, move to La Mariscal (15 minutes by taxi, USD 3-5) and join a chiva tour departing from Plaza Foch.
Plaza Foch in La Mariscal is the centre of Quito's backpacker nightlife. During Fiestas de Quito, the surrounding streets are closed to traffic and converted into outdoor bar areas. Beer costs USD 2-4. Cocktails USD 5-9. The bars run until 2-3am during the festival week. Bungalow 6, Finn McCool's, and the cluster of bars on Calles Reina Victoria are the main options. A taxi back to a hostel in La Mariscal costs USD 2-4.
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.