Every year in February, Ambato turns into the most vivid and cheerful city in the country for the whole two weeks. And it is so because guests and tourists come here to see a large-scale, flamboyant and memorable show, the Festival of Fruit and Flowers (La Fiesta de las Flores y de las Frutas).

This festival is not just a beautiful one-day carnival. No! The holiday lasts two weeks. It starts rather modest: in different parts of the city, local activists decorate the streets, arrange small performances and concerts. But every day, the program grows like a snowball. Parades, concerts in the main square, beauty contests, bullfights, street fairs, and amusement parks join those initially chamber-like events. And in the final, there commences the brightest spectacle: a real huge carnival!

The festival’s history and its main goal are not as funny as it might first seem. In August 1949, a terrible earthquake occurred in Ambato and partially destroyed the city, causing the death of 6 000 people. It was a misfortune that couldn’t be forgotten. But the Ecuadorians are known for their ability to rejoice despite all the troubles. And they decided that the best reminder of the tragedy, of the misfortune that they had managed to survive, would be a bright holiday showing that life goes on despite everything.

So in 1950, the Festival of Fruit and Flowers was first held. It wasn't so large-scale at that time, and at the festival, there were no carnival platforms. But in 1951, the festival broke, becoming its hallmark. And since 1962, the Festival of Fruit and Flowers has been officially recognized as the National Day of Ecuador. Today, it attracts guests from different countries who want to see the riot of colors with their own eyes and feel the tense aromas of local flowers and fruit.