What Is Free in Quito This Week, Balloons Included
Ecuador · Culture
Key Facts
- Free balloons in townOn Thursday 20 August the festival’s Noche de las Luces comes into Quito for the first time, free, at three sites at once.
- Thursday in La MariscalLos Jueves de Agosto runs Thursday 20 August from 5pm to about 9pm across the neighbourhood. Most of it is free; anything that is not is priced in the programme.
- One paid extraThe guided La Mariscal Creativa route costs US$5 a head, starts at 5pm at Café Qinti, and needs booking at visitquito.ec.
- Free cinema“Te falta calle: La puerta de los sueños” screens free at the Cinemateca Nacional, Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, at 6pm on Thursday 20 August.
- Already finishedThe Turicine festival ended on 15 August. If you see it in an August listing, the listing is out of date.
- Where to wanderCafé Qinti, Base Distrito Creativo, Casa Silberstein, Fundación Kingman, the Museo de Arte Naif and Quito Jazz Club are among the venues taking part.
- The main eventThe Mitad del Mundo balloon festival runs 20 to 23 August, gates at 5am, flights 6am to 8am. Tickets are online only, and there are separate ones for the balloons and the concerts.
The balloon festival takes the photographs. But this year the balloons come to town for free, and that is only the start of the week.
Quito in August is busy in a way that can be misleading. The big balloon festival at Mitad del Mundo gets the attention and the crowds, and it is worth the early start — but it costs money and it is a trip out of town. What most people do not know is that this year the balloons also come into the city, for nothing, on Thursday night. Here are the free things to do in Quito between Thursday and Sunday — and the one thing worth paying for.
Thursday night in La Mariscal
La Mariscal spent years as the neighbourhood everyone warned you about after dark. The city has been working to change that, and Los Jueves de Agosto is the result: every Thursday this month, more than thirty activities across restaurants, galleries and cultural spaces, from 5pm to around 9pm.
The venues taking part include Café Qinti, the Base Distrito Creativo, Casa Silberstein, the Fundación Kingman, the Museo de Arte Naif Latinoamericano, CatFe Art, NÜA and the Quito Jazz Club. Most activities are free; the ones that are not are priced in the programme.
The one worth paying for is La Mariscal Creativa, a guided route through the neighbourhood’s creative spaces at US$5 a person. It starts at 5pm at Café Qinti, ends at the Base Distrito Creativo, covers the guide and coffee tastings, and must be booked in advance at visitquito.ec. For anyone new to Quito it is the cheapest orientation to a district you would otherwise avoid out of habit.
Free cinema at the Casa de la Cultura
The Cinemateca Nacional, inside the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, runs free screenings all month. On Thursday 20 August at 6pm it shows “Te falta calle: La puerta de los sueños”, Alex Chasiguano’s 2026 documentary, 61 minutes, programmed with the city’s San José foundation to mark the international day of struggle for people living on the street. The Casa de la Cultura has two cinemas, so check the board on arrival for the room.
A second free strand runs just outside the weekend: “Dos formas de mirar” pairs documentary with fiction on Tuesdays at 6pm in the Sala Augusto San Miguel, for the Cinemateca’s 45th anniversary. The next session is Tuesday 25 August.
The balloons, free and paid
The best-kept secret of the week is that on Thursday 20 August the festival’s Noche de las Luces leaves Mitad del Mundo and comes into the city for the first time, free of charge, running at three places at once: the Liga Barrial ground in Solanda, the Carapungo stadium and the Plaza de la República below the Pichincha prefecture. Tethered balloons, performances and photo spots, and nobody takes your money at the gate.
The main festival at Ciudad Mitad del Mundo runs 20 to 23 August. Gates open at 5am and the balloons fly between 6am and 8am only, so this is a genuine dawn start. Admission has been US$5 for adults and US$2.50 for children, over-65s and disabled visitors, and there are separate tickets for the morning balloons and the evening concerts — you need both to do both. Tickets are sold online, with no box office. Prices for this edition had not been restated when we published, so check the official portal before you set out.
Free things to do in Quito on a budget
Quito rewards people who look past the obvious. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site you can walk for free, and the Casa de la Cultura programmes something most days.
The practical advice for anyone who has just arrived: the city sits at about 2,850 metres, which means evenings get cold quickly and a 5pm start feels later than it is. Take a jacket to a Thursday evening in La Mariscal, and do not plan a heavy day before a 5am start at Mitad del Mundo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is free in Quito between 20 and 23 August 2026?
The balloon festival’s Noche de las Luces on Thursday 20 August is free at three sites in the city — Solanda, Carapungo and the Plaza de la República. Most of Los Jueves de Agosto in La Mariscal that evening is free too, from about 5pm to 9pm, as are the Cinemateca Nacional screenings at the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, including “Te falta calle: La puerta de los sueños” at 6pm on Thursday.
What is Los Jueves de Agosto?
It is a city initiative running every Thursday in August in the La Mariscal district of Quito, with more than thirty activities in restaurants, galleries and cultural spaces from 5pm to around 9pm. Participating venues include Café Qinti, Base Distrito Creativo, Casa Silberstein, the Fundación Kingman and the Quito Jazz Club. Most activities are free and the priced ones are marked; the guided La Mariscal Creativa route costs US$5 and must be booked in advance at visitquito.ec.
Is the Turicine festival still running?
No. The seventh edition of the Ecuadorian Turicine festival ended on 15 August 2026, so it does not fall within this week despite appearing in some August listings.
How much is the balloon festival?
The Festival Internacional del Globo Mitad del Mundo runs from 20 to 23 August at Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, with gates at 5am and flights between 6am and 8am. Admission has been US$5 for adults and US$2.50 for children, visitors over 65 and disabled visitors, with separate tickets for the morning balloons and the evening concerts. Tickets are sold online only. Check the official portal for this edition’s prices before travelling.
Connected Coverage
Sources: La Hora — Quito launches Los Jueves de Agosto in La Mariscal; Quito Informa — more than 30 activities revive La Mariscal; Expreso — the balloon festival brings a free Noche de las Luces into Quito
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