Railroad park opens Saturday; Classical music in public places; Macramé and hat weaving workshops; Parque Calderon re-tiling project explained

Bored?
Tres días de música clásica – The Festival Música Ocupa will come to Cuenca with a program that will take classical music off conventional stages and bring it to historic, social and public spaces. Promoted by the Fundación InConcierto, this initiative is a commitment to build bridges between traditional music and daily life. The events will include musicians from the US, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Chile, Venezuela, and Ecuador playing works by Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, and contemporary composers such as Lili Boulanger.

There will also be workshops in disciplines such as tango, violin, French horn, viola and cello for students and local musicians. There will be 4 concerts in historic spaces, 5 social actions, and 2 workshops. Most of the events are over, but el 27/9, the closing concert will be in the Quinta Guadalupe a las 19:00. Passes to get into the events are available in the offices of the Dirección de Cultura UCuenca.

Workshops in macramé and tejido en paja toquilla (Panama hat weaving) are being offered at the Museo on Calle Rafael María Arizaga y Luis Cordero.

Agenda –
27/9 – 8:00 – Feriatón – Opening of the Parque del Ferrcarril (Railroad Park).
19:00 – Sábados de Glorieta – Presentación Rumba Viva – Glorieta del Parque Calderón. <Are you ready to rumba?>
20:00 – Concierto – Opening EP of the Ilussia Band – Bar restaurant Cirque (Agustín Cueva y Remigio Tamariz>
28/9 – 10:30 – Titiricuenca – Repeat performance of “NAPI, La guardiana de la selva” – Plaza del Folklore del Museo Pumapungo.
10:00 – Comic Con 2025 – Closing of the event with Mario Castñeda and Hiroshi Tokoro – Convention Center at Mall del Río – Cost: $12.

Convocan a talleres de paja toquilla y macramé – The Museo Municipal de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero is offering free workshops. The first is for macramé and will be from el 20/9 to el. 10/10 a las 14:00. Also the museum will hold workshops in Tejido en Paja Toquilla (Weaving paja straw) from el 2/10 to el 20/11. The courses are los jueves a las 14:00 and los sábados a las 10:00. <I think that means the macrame course on los jueves and the weaving is on los sábados, but it might also mean that both courses are on both jueves y sábado.> They will be held in the Museo on calle Rafael María Arizaga y Luis Cordero. You can register with just your name and cedula number. Spaces are limited. For more information, call 099 790 1706.

Curious?
Tras 13 meses inaugural el Parque del Ferrocarril – The Parque del Ferrocarril will open el sábado a las 10:00 after 13 months of work to renovate the old Gapal Train Station, 31 years after it was closed. The program will include activities for families and a tour of the historic uses of the space during the decades it was part of life in Cuenca. There will be a lookout point, and a cafeteria built in the form of train cars and a plaza. This space will be connected to the Parque de los Jóvenes which is in front of the warehouses of ETAPA. The Parque de los Jovenes will be integrate with the Parque Botánico. <So a string of parks which seems like it would be a nice way for a family to spend a Sunday.>

Cambio de piso del parque Calderón, en socialización – The public notice for changing the paving in the parque Calderón has started with informing owners of the properties fronting the park. It was explained that the closure would be progressive to avoid affecting commercial activity, pedestrian traffic, and the experience of citizens and tourists. The schedule, materials to be used, and other technical aspects were detailed. The contemplated work is repaving and renovating the lighting to improve safety and functionality, especially during the rainy season when the current pavement is slippery. The new colors will be in gray and pink tones as well as marble from the zone which seeks to highlight the historical elements of the space. <So maybe no more sliding into traffic after accidentally stepping on a curb cut?> The work is planned for early 2026 and an archeological study is being done as required by the Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural (INPC).
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.