Festival Madre Tierra Wraps Up This Weekend at Parque La Libertad — Free Concerts, Pampamesa, and Artists from 11 Countries

What Is It

The XV Festival Madre Tierra ("Connecting from the Roots") is wrapping up its 10-day run this weekend with free public events at Parque La Libertad. It's been happening since March 14, but this weekend is when the big public-facing events hit.

The festival brings together artists, musicians, and environmental activists from around the world. This year, participants came from 11 countries including the United States, Canada, Colombia, Peru, Finland, and Egypt.

This Weekend's Events

Saturday-Sunday, March 22-23 at Parque La Libertad:

• Intercultural parade — a colorful march through the park featuring performers from the international creative laboratory
• Live concerts — music from participating artists (genres spanning traditional Andean, contemporary, and international fusion)
• Pampamesa — a traditional communal meal where food is laid out on a long cloth on the ground and everyone shares. If you've never experienced one, this is your chance
• Sustainability fair — environmental organizations, artisan vendors, and eco-friendly products

All events are free and open to the public.

The Creative Laboratory

Behind the public events, the festival has been running an international creative laboratory (March 14-22) where artists from all 11 countries have been collaborating on new work. The results of that collaboration will be showcased this weekend.

The laboratory was organized by Casa Creativa IdiomARTE with support from Take Me To The River (an international art organization) and the Azuay Provincial Government.

Why Go

This is the kind of event that makes Cuenca special — a genuinely international cultural gathering happening in a public park, completely free, mixing Andean traditions with global perspectives. The pampamesa alone is worth the trip.

Parque La Libertad is in the Yanuncay sector, south of the river. It's a large park with plenty of space — no need to worry about crowds.

Getting there:

• By tram: Take it to the Feria Libre stop, then walk south across the river (~10 minutes)
• By taxi: Tell them "Parque de La Libertad" — $2-3 from El Centro
• By car: Street parking available in the surrounding residential area

Source: El Mercurio