A two-week international performing arts festival is running at Cuenca's Teatro Pumapungo right now, and it's one of the best excuses we've seen lately to be in Ecuador's southern highlands this month.
The Festival Internacional de Artes Escénicas Escenarios del Mundo kicked off on 1 October and runs through 14 October, pulling in artists and troupes from nine countries: Ecuador, Argentina, the US, Taiwan, Peru, Australia, Spain, Colombia and Cuba. The programme spans theatre, dance, oral storytelling and music. Ecuadorian productions include "Un acto de fe", "De cómo murió el teatro", "Los perros del pan" and "Biritute: el secuestro de la lluvia", while the international slate ranges from Australia's "Triptych" and Peru's "Emvra" to Taiwan's "Montaña hoguera" and Spain's "Taxidermia de una alondra" and "Nozing/Play! Jugando con la nada". Tickets are sold through Meet2go.
If you're in town, two more happenings are worth folding into an itinerary. The Archdiocese has opened "Del Taller al Altar" in the Old Cathedral — 64 Crucified Christ sculptures by notable Ecuadorian masters, on loan from the Álvarez-Eljuri family, open daily. And a new bakery-café called Koffe Rolls has set up near the University of Cuenca (av. 12 de abril y Loja, El Farol), started by two architects who quit their office space for cinnamon and coffee rolls. Favourites include Nutella rolls with strawberries and red-fruit rolls, paired with a salted caramel latte; hours are 11:00-19:00 Monday to Saturday, and they post daily flavours on social media. A second location is planned.
For anyone watching connectivity: Air Canada is returning to Ecuador with seasonal Boeing 787 Dreamliner service. Montreal-Quito operates from 4 December 2026 to 27 March 2027, and Toronto-Quito from 5 December 2026 into March — good news for Canadians planning a winter escape, though western Canada still has no direct link.
The rest of the week's news is mostly domestic: President Noboa has reformed the electricity law to speed up new generation, storage and self-supply as El Niño pressures the hydro-powered grid, including simplified permitting for renewable projects up to 100 MW. Street sweeping in Cuenca resumes under new $1.3 million contracts after a three-month gap. Digital banking has become the norm — 8 of 10 Banco Pichincha clients now bank digitally, and Ecuador's 79% digital transaction rate tops the Latin American average. Remittances topped $2 billion in the April-June quarter, mostly from the US, and the Navy intercepted a $50 million drug shipment off Manta.
Why it matters to travellers: Cuenca in October means mild highland weather, a full arts calendar, and a city where — as the banking stats show — paying your way digitally is easy. If festival-going is your thing, this is a rare chance to see Taiwanese, Cuban and Argentine work without leaving the Andes.
