This September, Cuba will celebrate the first edition of the “Habanarte” Cuban culture festival. The event will take place from September 11th to 21st. More than 1,000 artists will participate in nearly 100 institutions, and the program will include a diverse range of activities.

More than a thousand artists and groups from all walks of life, both national and international, are invited to the event. Exhibitions will feature Cuba’s most renowned works of art, and ten days will be dedicated to music, dance, visual arts, crafts, and literature. Audiovisual screenings will also be included, along with stage productions, theoretical events, and visits to community projects, museums, and historical sites.

Cultural offerings include live performances by Van Van, Cuba’s iconic orchestra; Omara Portuondo, the diva of the Buena Vista Social Club; the Spanish Ballet of Cuba; the National Ballet of Cuba at the National Theater; the Contemporary Dance of Cuba at the Mella Theater; the Lizt Alfonso Ballet; the Rosario Cárdenas Company; and Danza Teatro Retazos.

Concerts are also scheduled by Frank Fernández, Habana D’ Primera, Eliades Ochoa, and jazz musicians Yasek Manzano and Harold López-Nussa. The most popular orchestras will be represented by Laritza Bacallao, Descemer Bueno, Paulo FG, Isaac Delgado, La Revé, Charanga Habanera, and Pupi y los que Son Son.

This festival will be a great opportunity for Cuba to showcase the most relevant aspects of its artistic avant-garde. The aim is for the event to continue as one of the most significant events on the island.

One of the proposals that has raised the expectations of the participants is the presentation of the dance company founded by Lizt Alfonso. They are expected to present a show based on a fusion of Spanish and Cuban folk dances, with elements of the most current trends in choreographic, musical, and theatrical composition. The repertoire will include Sonata and Fandango, the work with which Veitía debuted and which earned her second place at the Madrid International Choreography Competition in 1992.

The venues at La Tropical, the Casas de la Música, and the Palacio de la Rumba are already promising attractive alternatives, offering the richest varieties of Cuban music. These events will also include dance classes organized by EGREM at the Casa de la Música in Galiano, as well as workshops on percussion, folk singing, Cuban jazz, and salsa, all at the headquarters of the Instituto Superior de Arte.

The visual arts will be a highlight, with a series of exhibitions planned, including a naive art exhibition at the Diago gallery, and a collective exhibition featuring artists Frank Mujica, Léster Álvarez, Eduardo Ponjuán, Alejandro Campins, and Yornel Martínez. Meanwhile, José Yaque will be exhibiting his work at the Servando Cabrera gallery, and the second edition of Post-it will be held, a major competition and exhibition-sale of fine art by young artists under 35.

Guided tours of the Ernest Hemingway Museum, located in Finca Vigía, are designed to be a meeting place for all Cuban art and culture. You can enjoy a visit to the children’s baseball project, Estrellas de Gigi, a result of the influence of the writer’s anecdotes on the community’s children.

The cultural tourism agency “Paradiso” has confirmed a list of 230 clients from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Mexico. These visitors have expressed interest in these activities, tours of heritage centers, and meetings with artists.

Everything indicates that September will mark history in Cuban culture. The capital will celebrate in style…