Loja & Southern Sierra
What’s Happening in Loja and the Southern Sierra This Weekend?
November 12 – November 16, 2026
Loja belongs to the living arts this weekend. FIAVL fills theatres, plazas, parks and museums with Ecuadorian and international theatre, dance, circus, music and visual art. These are selected highlights—not an attempt to reproduce the entire festival—and the complete official programme remains essential for discovering the many other performances around the city.
Art, Theatre & Culture
November 12
11th Loja International Festival of Living Arts 2026
📍 Loja · Circuito Cultural de Loja
FIAVL is the framework for the weekend: a citywide programme of theatre, dance, circus, music, exhibitions and public-space activity.
View event details →November 12 · 15:00
The Headless Priest — Opening Production
📍 Loja · Teatro Nacional Benjamín Carrión Mora
The festival’s opening production draws on one of Ecuador’s best-known legends and brings it to Loja’s largest stage.
View event details →November 12 · 11:00
Zombie Manifesto — Santiago Sanguineti
📍 Loja · Teatro Bolívar
Uruguayan playwright Santiago Sanguineti’s work brings sharp political theatre and dark humour to two festival performances.
View event details →November 13 · 18:00
Bondi Beach — Deus Ex Machina
📍 Loja · Teatro Bolívar
The Belgian company Deus Ex Machina joins the international programme with a large-scale contemporary performance.
View event details →November 13 · 18:00
Negro — La Congregación Teatro
📍 Loja · Centro Cultural Alfredo Mora Reyes
La Congregación Teatro brings a Colombian stage work into one of Friday evening’s strongest theatrical pairings.
View event details →November 13 · 20:00
Bettina Aust with the Loja Symphony Orchestra
📍 Loja · Teatro Nacional Benjamín Carrión Mora
German clarinettist Bettina Aust performs with the Loja Symphony Orchestra in a major festival concert.
View event details →November 13 · 20:00
International Circus Gala
📍 Loja · Plaza de la Cultura
International circus artists gather for an outdoor gala designed for a broad festival audience.
View event details →November 14 · 18:00
Three Holograms — National Dance Company
📍 Loja · Teatro Bolívar
Ecuador’s National Dance Company brings a contemporary dance work to the Teatro Bolívar.
View event details →November 14 · 20:00
The Place of the Other — La Congregación Teatro
📍 Loja · Teatro Nacional Benjamín Carrión Mora
La Congregación Teatro returns with a second production, this time on the festival’s main stage.
View event details →November 15 · 18:00
Comet — Roser López Espinosa and Vorpommern Tanz An
📍 Loja · Centro Cultural Alfredo Mora Reyes
Two Sunday performances make this international production accessible to both daytime and evening audiences.
View event details →November 15 · 20:00
Dark Staircase — National Dance Company
📍 Loja · Teatro Nacional Benjamín Carrión Mora
The National Dance Company closes the selected Sunday programme with a second major contemporary work.
View event details →November 12 · 11:00
Buddy Bears — Germany and Ecuador
📍 Loja · Parque Jipiro
The colourful public-art installation links Germany and Ecuador through a group of individually painted bear sculptures.
View event details →November 12 · 09:00
Living Territories: Ways of Inhabiting Ecuador
📍 Loja · Museo Puerta de la Ciudad
This exhibition considers how communities inhabit and understand Ecuador’s varied territories.
View event details →Community & Traditions
November 12 · 18:00
Brushstrokes in Motion — FIAVL Opening Parade
📍 Loja · Fuerte Militar Cabo Minacho a Plaza San Francisco
The opening parade carries FIAVL into the streets, turning the route itself into a moving performance.
View event details →