When Loja Becomes a Stage

For eleven days in November, Loja will become a city of performers. Its streets and plazas will fill with dancers, musicians, actors and circus artists, while theatres welcome productions from Ecuador and abroad.

The 11th International Living Arts Festival of Loja, November 12–22, promises more than 400 cultural and educational activities, with Germany as guest country of honour.

Among those preparing to participate are thirty performers from Loja's Day Centre for the Comprehensive Development of People with Disabilities. Their production, Corazón de Escancel, is one example of how the festival brings the performing arts beyond established theatre companies and into the wider community.

The event, founded in 2016, reflects Loja's longstanding association with music and the arts. This year's theme, Artes Vivas para Habitar el Futuro \(Living Arts to Inhabit the Future\), places particular emphasis on children, young people and community participation.

When paintings take to the streets

On November 12, paintings will leave their frames and take to the streets of Loja. Approximately 3,000 participants are expected to transform Calle Bolívar into a moving gallery of costumes, music and dance as the festival opens with Pinceladas en Movimiento \(Brushstrokes in Motion\).

The parade begins at 6 p.m. near the Cabo Minacho military installation and continues along Calle Bolívar to Plaza San Francisco. Around 40 delegations, including groups from eleven other Ecuadorian cities and provinces, are expected to interpret works of visual art through performance.

The preparations have involved more than professional artists. Children have decorated kites with drawings and messages about their dreams, while young people have participated in mask-making workshops. Their creations will form part of the festival's public displays.

The activities reflect the festival's approach to artes vivas—living arts—which encompasses theatre, dance, music, puppetry, circus and other performances that bring artists and audiences together, often outside conventional venues.

Diario Crónica reports on the community preparations, while the Municipality of Loja describes the opening parade and its route\.

A festival without boundaries

The international programme includes theatre, circus, music and experimental performance. Among the announced artists are German performer Mascha Louana with Semillas de fuego, Italian artist Valentina Quargentan with a hair-suspension act, Argentine puppeteers and Costa Rican clown performers.

Music will also occupy public spaces, including Plaza San Sebastián, where Don Medardo Sinfónico and Pueblo Nuevo are among the announced performers. Local artists will share the programme with visiting companies, giving Loja's performers a place in a major national cultural event.

HORA32's festival preview outlines the international and local programme.

For the thirty performers preparing Corazón de Escancel, the festival offers another opportunity to bring their work before a public audience.

The 40-minute production explores intangible cultural heritage, pregnancy loss and the support communities provide during grief, drawing on popular traditions and devotion.

It will be the group's second consecutive appearance at the festival. In 2025, they presented a production inspired by the Diablada de Píllaro. This year, families and centre staff have helped with rehearsals and scenery.

The group will also participate in the opening parade with a presentation inspired by Ora Pro Nobis, a work by Loja artist Bayardo Cuenca referring to twelve mountain virgins.

According to the Ministry of Human Development's November 4 report, Corazón de Escancel is scheduled for November 17, with performances at 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. The production is supported by the Municipality of Loja and the Mamá Sombrilla collective.

Eleven days in Loja

From November 12 to 22, performances, workshops and exhibitions will take place in theatres, cultural centres, streets, plazas and parks throughout the city.

The opening parade begins Thursday, November 12, at 6 p.m., following Calle Bolívar toward Plaza San Francisco. Other activities will have individual schedules, venues and admission requirements.

Visitors can consult the official festival website for programme details and the Municipality of Loja's festival announcement for an overview of planned activities.

For eleven days, Loja's stages will extend beyond its theatres. They will include public squares, neighbourhood streets and spaces where children, visiting artists and local performers can share their work with the city.