When
to Go -LOS
VAN VAN - "Use Condom" = "usa condom"
Cuba
has a packed schedule of festivals, congresses, and
carnivals, and it seems like more are being offered
each year. If no specific contact information is offered
below, you can contact Paradiso (tel. 7/832-9538;
www.paradiso.cu), the tour agency arm of the national
arts and cultural organization ARTex. Paradiso organizes
theme tours and escorted trips based around most of
the major festivals and cultural events occurring
throughout the year. You can also find pretty good
information at www.cubatravel.cu, www.afrocubaweb.com,
www.cult.cu, and www.loseventos.cu (the last two are
in Spanish only).
February
International
Book Fair, Havana.
This
large gathering of authors, publishers, and distributors
is really only of interest to those who can read
in Spanish. But if you can, this is an excellent
Latin American book fair. Second week of February.Habanos
Festival, Havana. Cigar smokers won't want to
miss this annual celebration of the Cuban stogie.
Run by the official state cigar company, Habanos,
S.A., events include lectures, factory visits,
tastings, and a gala dinner with an auction of
rare cigars. For more information, visit www.habanos.com.
Late February.
---Yanek
y Diana - Cuban style Salsa
March
International
Festival of "La Trova" Pepe Sánchez,
Santiago de Cuba. If you like the sounds of traditional
Cuban folk music, you'll want to hit this festival.
Buena Vista Social Club member Eliades Ochoa was charged
with organizing the latest version. Local Santiagueros
are the heart of the festival, but singers and groups
come from the entire island and throughout Latin America.
Mid-March.Celebration
of Classic Cars, Havana. Recognizing the appeal of
its huge fleet of classic American cars, Cuba has
organized a weeklong celebration of these Detroit
dinosaurs. Events include lectures, mechanical workshops,
and parades. Owners from other countries are encouraged
to bring their wheels to Cuba, and a caravan from
Havana to another colonial city is usually orchestrated.
Mid-March.
Rueda -Casino
with 4 Woman
April
International
Percussion Festival PERCUBA, Havana. This large meeting
of percussionists draws national and international
scholars and players working in genres ranging from
classical to fusion. Lectures, workshops, concerts,
and colloquiums are all part of a dense bill. Call
tel. 7/203-8808 or visit www.cult.cu for more information.
Mid-April.MayMay
Day parades, nationwide. If you're in Cuba for May
Day, the traditional socialist celebration of Labor
Day, you'll want to join (or at least watch) one of
the many parades and public gatherings. The big daddy
of them all takes place at the Plaza de la Revolución
in Havana, where over 100,000 people usually gather
to listen to Fidel's annual May Day speech. May 1.
-----Orishas
"El Kilo"
June
International
Festival "Boleros de Oro," Havana. You'll
be crying in your mojito . . . and loving it. Theaters,
clubs, and concert halls across Havana will be filled
with the sweet and melancholy sounds of bolero. Concerts
are also staged in Santiago and other major cities.
Late June.JulyFiesta
del Fuego, Santiago de Cuba. This event features lectures,
concerts, parades, and street fairs celebrating Afro-Caribbean
culture. Speakers, guests, and musical groups from
around the Caribbean are usually invited. For more
information, e-mail caribe@cult.stgo.cul.cu.
Orishas
International "Old Man and the Sea"
Billfish
Tournament, Playas del Este, Havana. Marina Tarará
is the host to this annual big-game fishing tournament.
Call tel. 7/897-1462 for more information. Mid-
to late July.Carnival, Santiago de Cuba. The most
"African" city in Cuba throws an excellent
annual carnival. Street parties and concerts are
everywhere, and the colonial city is flooded with
masked revelers and long conga lines. Second half
of July.
-Orishas
-Que pasa?
August
Carnival,
Havana.
Although not nearly as colorful or charismatic as
Santiago's Carnival, there's still a good dose of
public merriment, street parties, open-air music concerts,
and the occasional parade. August 3 to 15.Beny Moré
International Festival of Popular Music, Cienfuegos.
Although he was actually born a few kilometers away
in the little hamlet of Santa Isabel de las Lajas,
he is celebrated here with a heavy schedule of concerts
throughout most of the latter part of August, and
sometimes into September.
Manolito, You told me
a lie
Carnival, Matanzas. If you're looking for a good time,
try to get to Matanzas during the third week of August.
Although not as massive or elaborate as Carnival celebrations
in Havana or Santiago, Matanzas still puts on a good
party. The town has strong Afro-Cuban roots, and you'll
experience this in body, flesh, food, and song throughout
the week.
Klimax of Havana Cuba
September
Fiesta
de la Virgen del Cobre, El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba.
Cuba's national saint, the Virgin of Cobre, is revered
by Roman Catholics and Santeras alike. There are pilgrimages
to her altar in the small town of El Cobre, and celebrations
in her honor nationwide. September 8.International
Blue Marlin Tournament, Havana. The Marina Hemingway
is the fitting site for this annual big-game fishing
tournament. For more information, call tel. 7/204-6848
or check www.cubanacan.cu. Late September.
- Rueda
Casino
October
Days
of Cuban Culture, nationwide. In yet another show
of Cuba's omnipresent anti-colonial spirit, the period
traditionally marking Christopher Columbus's stumbling
upon the New World are given over to celebrations
of Cuban and Afro-Cuban culture. October 10 to 20.International
Festival "Matamoros Son," Santiago de Cuba.
The silky sounds of Cuban son fill the streets and
theaters of Santiago. Organized by the reigning champion
of the genre, Adalberto Alvarez, this is a great chance
to hear a solid week of some wonderful music. Visit
www.cult.cu for more information.
Rueda Casino
Mid-October.Havana
International Ballet Festival, Havana. Alicia Alonso is
amazingly still going strong, and the Cuban National Ballet
is still one of the most highly regarded troupes on the
planet. Alicia uses this cache to stage a wonderful annual
international festival in the Gran Teatro de La Habana.
For more information, call tel. 7/855-3084 or visit www.balletcuba.cu.
Late October. November
Havana
Biennale, Havana. This is one of the premier Latin
American art shows, bringing together and exhibiting
a wide range of contemporary Latin American artists
working in a broad range of mediums and styles. Occurring
in even-numbered years from mid-November to mid-December.DecemberInternational
Festival of New Latin American Film Festival, Havana.
This is one of the premier film festivals in Latin
America. A packed schedule of films is shown in theaters
over a period of 10 days throughout Havana,
Rueda Casino
but
predominantly in Vedado. For more information, check
out www.habanafilmfestival.com. Early December
International
Jazz Festival, Havana.
This
festival has had its ups and downs, and has struggled
to find its annual slot. It seems to have found its groove,
dovetailing with the film festival and organized for the
past couple years by none other than Chucho Valdés.
The festival usually draws a handful of top international
bands and soloists to share the stage and billing with
a strong stable of Cuba's best jazz talents. Mid-December.Las
Parrandas, Remedios. This extravagant public carnival
features late night parades with ornate floats, costumed
revelers, and a serious amount of fireworks. The big event
occurs on December 24, but between the preparations, practice
runs, and smaller imitations in neighboring towns, you'll
be able to catch some of the excitement throughout most
of late December.
