Crafts, art, food, livestock, coins and more are featured at the Cuenca holidays fairs and expositions

The biggest problem tourists, expats and locals face during Cuenca’s independence celebration is deciding which fairs and expositions to visit. Most feature arts and crafts and food but others display — and usually sell — livestock, collectibles, antiques, old cars and a wide array of locally produced consumer goods.

The crafts fair at CIDAP is the largest and most impressive.

There are 31 officially recognized crafts and food fairs set up around the city and dozens of informal ones.

The largest and most impressive fair is at CIDAP (Inter-American Folk Arts and Crafts Association) on Tres de Noviembre at the Hermano Miguel Escalinatas. The event fills the CIDAP courtyard and runs along the banks of the Tomebamba River from the base of Calle Hermano Miguel to the bridge at Calle Benigno Malo. The craftspeople chosen for the fair are vetted by the CIDAP board of directors, with only half of the applicants invited to participate. Most artisans are Ecuadorian but some come from other Latin American countries, particularly Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

Here is a short list of fairs that opened earlier this week. For details on all of the 300-plus Cuenca holiday events, click here.

Cuenca Expo Fair (Expo Feria Cuenca)
Dates: October 22 to November 14.
Time: Start 09:00.
Place: Panamericana Norte KM 5.

Jewelry artisans and sellers always draw a crowd during the holidays.

Crafts and Gastronomic Entrepreneur Fair at Quinta Chica (Emprendimiento del Artesanal y Gastronomico Quinta Chica)
Dates: October 30 and 31.
Time: Start 10:00.
Place: Parque Los Lagos, sector Quinta Chica. Calle Angas y Pucacocha

Agricultural, Livestock and Agroindustrial Commercial (Feria Agricola, Ganadera, Agroindustrial Comercial Expo)
Dats: October 30 to November 1.
Time: Start 10:00.
Place: Recinto Ferial del Centro Agrícola Cantonal de Cuenca. Panamericana Sur Km 15, sector estación de Cumbe

A display of Peruvian ceramics at CIDAP in 2019.

Entrepreneurial Fair (Feria de Emprendimientos)
Dates: October 30 to November 2.
Time: Start10:00.
Place: Santa Ana de los 4 Ríos Community House. Calle del Pasillo 5-14 and Carlos Rubira Infante.

Women’s Crafts Fair (Feria de Mujeres Artesanas)
Dates: From October 30 to November 3.
Time: Start 08:30.
Place: Plaza de San Francisco. Presidente Córdova y General Torres.

National Ceramics Fair (Feria Nacional de la Ceramica)
Dates: From October 30 to November 3.
Time: 10:00.
Place: Centro Cultural Municipal Chaguarchimbana. Calle de las Herrerías y De las Retamas.

CIDAP (Inter-American Folk Arts and Crafts Association) Crafts Festival
Dates: From October 29 to November 3
Place: Tres de Noviembre at the Hermano Miguel Escalinatas

National Collectibles and Numismatic Fair (Feria Nacional del Colecctionismo y Numismatica)
Dates: From October 31 to November 2
Time: Start 11:00.
Place: Parque de la Madre. Av. Florencia Astudillo and Federico Malo