Varadero Events, Things to Do and Festivals 2014 / 2015
(Varadero, Matanzas, Cuba)
If it is one thing Cubans are great at, it is partying. Music, theatre, dance and street events are essential parts of most Cuban festivals - the noisier the better, with many annual celebrations being staged around Varadero.
As with most cultural and historic attractions on the island,
Havana has the best of it, but Varadero and the nearby towns of Cardenas and Matanzas each hold their own with interesting and fun events. Golfing tournaments, music festivals and an annual rowing regatta are amongst the most popular things to do and see. Easter and Christmas festivities are now back on the cards in
Cuba, since the relaxation of the ban on religion some 15 years ago.
Varadero Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015
January
- Liberation Day - January 1st, celebrated everywhere on Cuba on New Year's Day to commemorate the success of the Communist revolution. New Year's Eve's festivities continue in to the national holiday of Liberation Day, another reason to keep partying
February
- Festival de Musica Antigua - in Old Havana, a unique musical event featuring Baroque, Renaissance and medieval compositions, mostly of church music. This notable music fest takes place in homage to Esteban Salas, a much-revered Cuban composer of the 17th century that is still remembered today
March
- International Culinary Festival - gives a chance for visitors to sample delicious recipes from regional Cuban dishes, as well as popular international cuisine such as both Chinese and Italian
- Havana Drum Festival - a noisy and exciting celebration of all kinds of drumming, which takes place at various venues in Havana and includes contests and drumming classes
April
- Puppet Theatre Festival and International Workshop - held each April and brings together puppeteers and craftspeople from across the world. During the event, puppets are everywhere, with shows all day long and in the evenings on Puppet Street and a puppet contest. This is great fun, especially if you are travelling with children
May
- International Labour Day (Dia de los Trabajadores) - May 1st, a public holiday throughout Cuba
- Varadero World Music Festival - kicks off each June and attracts international and local musicians, together with other performers, for a feast of concerts, recitals and gigs. Both traditional and modern music is featured
- Annual Varadero Tourism Convention - first week in May, crowds come to attend this notable convention and during this time, accommodation is often in short supply
- Rowing Regatta - an especially historic regatta, dating back more than 100 years and featuring exciting rowing boat races
- International Ernest Hemingway Needlefish Tournament - founded by the great man himself in 1950, this contest sees sea fishermen from the world over compete to catch the largest marlin and tuna off the Cuban coast, near Havana
June
- International Honda Varadero - the town's very own Big Bike festival, with bikers from all over converging on the town over the Whitsun weekend to roar around the countryside on their motorbikes, enjoying the sunshine and scenery. These regular meetings also take place in other spectacular locations worldwide
- Golf Tournament - annual June golfing competition hosted by the Varadero Golf Club
- Atenas National Rock Festival - kicks off at the Canimar River Campsite in nearby Matanzas, with rock bands, street theatre, tattoo exhibitions and lots more fun fringe events
July
- Moncada Day - falls every year on July 26th, the most important national festival in Cuba's revolutionary calendar. Moncada Day marks Fidel Castro's unsuccessful attack on Santiago de Cuba's Moncada Barracks, regarded as the start of the communist revolution
- Day After the Commemoration of the Assault of the Moncada Garrison - July 27th, the Moncada Day festivities continue for another day
August
- Havana Carnaval - kicks off in August with costume parades, processions, street parties and entertainers, dance, music, eating, drinking and fireworks - everything you would expect from a Cuban carnival, just two hours' drive from the town
September
- Havana Theatre Festival - a twice-yearly event, with its September outing promising everything from dance and opera performances to puppet theatre, pantomime and street performances of all kinds
October
- Independence Day (Dia de la Independencia) - October 10th, a national Cuban holiday remembering the freedom that Carlos Manuel de Céspedes gave to his slaves in 1868, starting the war of independence against Spain
- Golf Tournament - annual October golfing competition hosted by the Varadero Golf Club
- International Havana Ballet Festival - runs from late October to early November, both in the capital city and other major Cuban towns. International artists and well-known ballet companies come together with the Cuban National Ballet to celebrate this spectacular dance form
November
- Matanzas Festival of Cuban Dance - embraces all the varied and exciting Cuban dance traditions with contests, exhibitions and workshops
December
- International Festival of New Latin American Cinema - takes place annually across Havana. Movie buffs will love this one, with screenings of all kinds of movies from famous and not-so-famous directors
- Havana Jazz Festival - famous in global jazz circles, with international line-ups of the best jazz musicians performing all over Havana, at venues from the ultra-smart to the downright scruffy
- Christmas (Navidad) - December 25th, Yuletide celebrations arrive in the town at this time of the year