Let the music begin: Weekend concerts highlight the official start of Cuenca’s independence holidays as local hotels begin to fill up

It will be a weekend of music in Cuenca, marking the beginning of the independence holidays.

Crafts tents in the CIDAP courtyard.

Concerts are planned for Parque de la Madre tonight and Parque Calderon on Saturday. In addition, smaller concerts are scheduled for the CEMUART crafts center and various neighborhoods around the city.

Hotel owners say they expect to fill all 8,000 rooms in the city’s 85 hotels and hostals. The hotel association has taken the opportunity to contact some 40 “informal” lodging providers, including AirBnB owners, warning them that they must be registered with tax and licensing authorities before they can offer guest services. “We will be watching this closely,” said Juan Pablo Vanegas, president of the hotel association.

The municipal tourist office says it expects 100,000 tourists in town between today and Monday, November 2. Many of these, they say, are Ecuadorians with family connections in Cuenca. Two to three thousand foreigners are also expected, they say.

Tonight’s concert in Parque de la Madre begins at 8 with the Colombian band Maykel and featrures a program reggaeton and bachata.

A concert at CEMUART on San Francisco Square presents “Music of Remberance” honoring the dead, beginning at 7.

On Saturday, a concert of local music, “Mi Cuenca Canta” (My Cuenca Sings) will be presented in San Francisco Plaza at 2 p.m.

At 8, a program of national music will be performed at Parque Calderon by Franklin Band and Orchestra D’Diego Moran.

Meanwhile, crafts fairs will in full swing at CIDAP and along the banks of the Rio Tomebamba, in Otogrongo Plaza, the Broken Bridge, and a dozen other venues. Check the events agenda for details or go to www.cuenca.gob.ec for the online edition.