New Year 2027 holiday in Ecuador: days off and rules

Friday 1 January 2027 is a national holiday for New Year, according to the official holiday calendar reported by Primicias. With the weekend, the break runs from Friday the 1st to Sunday 3 January.

Which days are off

Thursday 31 December: not a holiday in the official calendar.
Friday 1 January 2027: national holiday for New Year.
Saturday 2 and Sunday 3: weekend.

The night of the 31st

In Ecuador the year ends with the años viejos: effigies of paper and cardboard, often with the face of someone from the year's news, burned at midnight on 31 December. Each city sets its own rules for that burning and for fireworks.

Rules in Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca

Quito: Open-air burning, años viejos included, is banned. In December 2025 the city reminded people that the fine is two basic salaries (USD 940 that year), the same as for throwing burning effigies into waste containers (Primicias). In May 2026 the city council also passed an ordinance banning loud fireworks such as misileras, tumbacasas and voladores; only low-noise and cold fireworks are allowed, with fines of three to five basic salaries (Primicias).
Guayaquil: Burning effigies is only allowed on concrete streets or avenues. It is banned on asphalt streets, paved-stone areas, regenerated areas and the Metrovía lane, with fines of up to 100 basic salaries (Primicias).
Cuenca: The noise ordinance does not allow fireworks before 06:00 or after 24:00 (Primicias). We found no published city rule on burning años viejos in Cuenca.

These are the rules the cities have published so far; check whether they announce changes before the 31st.

Plans for those days

Each city's list builds itself from what theatres, ticket sellers, cultural centres and organizers publish:

A week earlier comes the Christmas holiday, and the next long break is Carnival, 6 to 9 February.

Organizing something for New Year's Eve? Post it for free and it shows up in your city's agenda.