Cuban people are known for spending a lot of time outside socialising, enjoying their beautiful weather, great music, and laidback way of life. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the country celebrates its tradition via numerous festivals showcasing Cuban artistic skills.
Here are the 10 festivals in Cuba that are most popular and gather large crowds every year.
Festival de la Trova Longina
Traveling around Cuba will make you notice the frequent ‘casa de la Trova’ places where musicians come to play the traditional Trova style of music. It originated in the 19th century when travelling guitar musicians called ‘trovadores’ earned their living by entertaining crowds in Cuba’s Oriente province. Imagine this on a large scale when the town of Santa Clara becomes a stage for great Trova performances.
The festival takes place every January to honour Manuel Corona, a famous local musician born in the area.
Havana Jazz Festival
One of the most popular festivals in Cuba is the International Jazz Festival of Havana. It was organised in 1963 for the first time and brings together the best talents from around the globe with jam sessions and concerts in theatres and street corners of the Cuban capital, Havana. This is the best way to compare the local Afro-Cuban jazz with its traditional origins.
The famed Jazz festival usually takes place at the end of January.
Havana Biennial
The Havana Biennial takes place every two years and is dedicated to promoting contemporary arts, especially by artists from Latin America and the Caribbean countries. It was first established in 1984 to promote art exhibitions from the developing world.
This festival gives you chance to see the streets of Havana become vibrant galleries and to attend some of the practical workshops led by master artists.
Camaguey Carnival
This festival is also known as San Juan Camagueyano because of San Juan Day on June 24, when the carnival starts. It is often referred to as the oldest carnival in Cuba. They say that it took place in the 18th century for the first time when locals dressed up and danced the whole day. This was also the time when cattle were brought to Camaguey, so the procession later included horseriding and equestrian performances.
Festival of Fire
Fiesta del Fuego, or the Festival of Fire, is a popular event in Santiago de Cuba that happens every year at the beginning of July. This 3-day festival features street dancing, exhibitions, night parties, and Cuban music. It began in 1981 and paid tribute to a different Caribbean country every year.
It’s called the Festival of Fire because the main event consists of burning a huge effigy of the Devil during the final evening.
International Cuban Dance Festival
International Cuban Dance Festival or Ritmo Cuba is a unique opportunity to enjoy a week of Cuban dancing everywhere around Havana. This is when dancers meet choreographers, and classes are led by more than 60 of the best salsa teachers from Cuba and around the world.
This dance festival takes place every April. The event is even more authentic when it’s organised at the Hotel Nacional, the stylish old building built in 1930, as it happened in 2021.
Trinidad Festival
Like the Camaguey Carnival, the one in Trinidad starts the same day, on June 24. It’s also known as the Fiestas San Juaneras. The 4-day festival takes place in a lovely town that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its streets are full of colourful dresses and costumes, parades, and games.
One of the highlights of the carnival is crowning the queen chosen among the local participants. Music is played from every corner of the town while hundreds of people dance down the main street.
Havana World Music Festival
Music and party lovers can enjoy this 3-day event every spring in the Cuban capital Havana. In 2014 the festival hosted more than 130 concerts with an audience of about 70,000 people. This festival of diversity, culture, and music brings performers from around the world to Cuba’s capital.
Besides concerts, there are also plenty of events throughout the city promoting music created by the young people of Cuba.
Santiago de Cuba Carnival
One of the largest festivals in Cuba is held in July in a former capital in the south of the island – Santiago de Cuba. The origins of the Santiago de Cuba Carnival go back to the 17th century, referring to the traditional celebrations of Mamarrachos. Fiesta de Los Mamarrachos, as the carnival was once called, was originally a catholic tradition reshaped by slave populations. With time society adopted the new version of the festival, which now also has French and Haitian influences.
The summer celebration marked the period of rest for field workers, while it nowadays symbolises spending time with family and friends. Thousands of locals and visitors take part in the celebration and welcome traditional processions.
Old Havana: City of Movement
Habana Vieja Ciudad en Movimiento is organized every year in April in emblematic sites of Havana, namely the Plaza de Armas or Las Carolinas. The street dance event is accompanied by master classes and panels. The festival was first organised in 1996 and brought together traditional and contemporary dance styles everyone can take part in.
The festival is even more interesting given that it takes place in the Historical Centre of Havana. The so-called Old Havana was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
Final Thoughts
Cuba has more than its fair share of festivals and carnivals every year. Its unique carnivals bring thousands of people to cities such as Havana, Santiago De Cuba, and Trinidad However, there is more to Cuban celebrations than music and dance — visual arts, classical music, and ballet dance festivals are some more events you should attend during your Cuban holiday.
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